Grading the Houston Rockets this season: Danuel House

Danuel House is improving a little bit more each season, and that continued through 64 games this year for the Houston Rockets.

Starting as a guy that could barely see the court for his first couple of seasons in the league, Danuel House has come a long way. Showing up in just 39 games last season, he’s become a legitimate starting forward for the Houston Rockets as they continue to experiment with micro ball.

The 26-year-old has seen his minutes increase from 25 to 30 minutes per game, with him starting in 47 of his 58 played games. While he has seen a slight statistical increase across the board due to this, his production level has been about the same as last season.

The biggest jump House has made since his first year in the league has been on the defensive end. The Texas native has doubled his best season when it comes to stealing the ball, going from 0.5 per game last season to 1.1 — that translates to 1.7 per 100 possessions.

Now that the Rockets have gone small full-time, House is adapting by playing the passing lanes better than he ever has before and gambling inside when he knows he might be in trouble in a one-on-one situation.

Danuel is also helping out on the boards to the tune of 4.2 per game, but considering the size Houston is putting out nightly, he could be doing a bit more in that regard.

Grade: B –

Overall, House is making progress surely but slowly. Unfortunately, after he shot 46.8 percent from the field last season including 41.6 from three, both of those numbers have dropped this season to 42.7 and 36.3 percent, respectively.

Now that he’s shooting 5.4 threes per game, he needs to hit at a higher clip than 36.3 percent from beyond the arc to take the next step in his career. House also has the skills to drive to the hoop more often and draw fouls more often than the 1.3 he currently draws per game.

The Rockets’ offense is more wide open than it has ever been, which is good news for House. He just needs to show more aggressiveness and confidence in what he can do if he truly wants to become a key piece in Houston’s future.