How long can the Houston Rockets afford to be without Danuel House?

Houston Rockets sharpshooter Danuel House has already suffered three injuries this season, which just started. Here’s why the Rockets can’t afford to be without House for long.

Houston Rockets starting small forward Danuel House has picked up where he left off during the 2018-19 season thus far. If you recall, House shot 41.6 percent from distance last season, which was a team-high. House’s efforts landed him a spot in the starting lineup for 13 games last season and secured a spot in the starting lineup this season as well.

This year, House is averaging 11.2 points per game and shooting 44.6 percent from downtown, which is second-best on the Rockets and is important for a Rockets team that is on pace for the most 3-point attempts in NBA history. House is also second on the Rockets in blocks, which is a much-needed skillset for a Rockets team still working to improve their defense.

There have been six games in which House has either left early or hasn’t played because of an injury. House has missed both games against the LA Clippers in addition to games against the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves. In addition, House played 11 minutes against the New Orleans Pelicans before getting injured and being out for the remainder of the game, and the same thing happened against the Denver Nuggets.

Although the Rockets have gone 4-2 in those six games, they’ve also looked much different without him. The Rockets have averaged 112 points in the six games in which House was either out or unable to finish the game and 121 points per game where Danuel was playing his normal amount of minutes.

But more than that, the Rockets have shot slightly better from deep in games in which House played the entirety of the game, shooting 34.3 percent from downtown as compared to the 33 percent from distance in the other six games. The offensive rating has also illustrated their need for House, as their offensive rating has been 113.4 with House compared to 111.7 in the other six games.

Not only that, but the Houston Rockets’ defense has been much better with House. During the six such games in which House was unable to finish, the Rockets’ defensive rating is 108.9. However, during the Rockets’ other games (with the exception of the 159-158 outlier against the Washington Wizards) the Rockets’ defensive rating is 106.7.

Based on the data, the Rockets are better on both ends of the floor with House, which is concerning considering that he’s already had his third injury in the 2019-20 season, which just started.

Hopefully, House is able to stay healthy for the remainder of the season because the Rockets are a much different team without him.