Houston Rockets v Brooklyn Nets: 2 Studs and 1 Dud

Houston Rockets v Brooklyn Nets Stud No. 1: Josh Christopher

Josh Christopher celebrated his 20th birthday in style. The rookie guard went a perfect 7 for 7 from the field on his way to 18 points and added two assists, two steals, and one block to the box score. 

Up until last night, Christopher had played limited minutes in the NBA. Whether his expanded role came out of necessity or was a birthday gift from Stephen Silas, Christopher made the most of it. 

His shot chart will have made Rafael Stone and his team of data scientists proud. He only took lay-ups and threes, and of his four 3-pointers, two came from the corners. All too often, shot selection is the forgotten component of scoring. Christopher didn’t dribble on six of his seven shots because he got in the right positions and made his touches count. 

Fittingly, on his breakout birthday night, Christopher capped the Rockets scoring with such aplomb that the Toyota Center’s roof was sent into orbit. 

The game was the best of Christopher’s young career, and proof that the Rockets made the right choice with the 24th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. According to Christopher, it wasn’t just his best NBA game, but it was also his best-ever birthday.