Houston Rockets: How Danuel House is seizing the moment

After being called up by the Houston Rockets from the NBA G League nearly two weeks ago, Danuel House has surprisingly helped to provide his hometown team with a major boost as of late.

Just two and a half months ago, Danuel House found himself working to earn a guaranteed roster spot, prior to receiving some dismal news shortly before the start of the 2018-19 regular season.

The 25-year-old swingman — who appeared in 23 games with the Phoenix Suns a year ago — was cut by the Golden State Warriors near the conclusion of training camp.

The man who managed to turn heads at the 2018 NBA Summer League with the Houston Rockets, wondered how he had even garnered the attention of the defending world champions over his own hometown squad, per The Athletic‘s Anthony Slater (subscription required)

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Now, the former Texas A&M standout currently finds himself cast in a familiar backdrop, as the native son — who went undrafted in the summer of 2016 — has re-emerged from the depths of the G League to provide Houston with quality minutes at both ends of the floor, all the while fully seizing the moment in the process.

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1073593459213303808

"“It’s an honor,” House said to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle when asked about what it means to play in Rocket red among family and friends.“Showing my little cousins and the people around me to never give up and continue to fight. Life can throw you down, but you have to be judged by how you stand up.”"

House, who was called up from the Rockets’ G League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley on Nov. 26, is currently shooting a red-hot 52 percent from the field over his last five outings.

He’s averaging 15.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per 36 minutes for Houston through six games in the month of December.

"“He’s not scared,” Rockets guard James Harden said to reporters following House’s 15-point night off the bench in Houston’s 126-111 win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 13. “He gets after it on both ends of the floor. He makes big shots.“Something you guys don’t probably see is that he puts the work in. He’s here with me [in practice], he’s one of the last ones to leave. Playing one-on-one, putting his shots up, and making sure that confidence level doesn’t go away.”"

Although House’s official role on a full-strength Rockets squad still remains in limbo, the young wing has been arguably one of Houston’s most dynamic players to watch over the last two games.

House, the 3-and-D prototype, has found a way to surprisingly overtake rookie forward Gary Clark on the depth chart, while also providing Clutch City with a viable scoring punch off the bench as of late.

Since Eric Gordon’s insertion into the starting lineup, House has recorded double-digit scoring performances in back-to-back affairs, averaging 13.5 points per game.

House is also playing a major role on defense, as his ability to play multiple positions with high energy — and finish out in transition — has provided Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni with a much needed security blanket in the wake of James Ennis’ recent hamstring injury.

"“He’s keeping high hands, not getting silly fouls,” D’Antoni said in his most recent press conference when discussing House’s play earlier this week. “His athleticism is sorely needed. It’s a great thing to have on the floor, the ability to run the floor, the ability to block a shot or dunk.”“You have to be able to influence the game without making shots….if he can bring the energy every night the way that he has been, then he’ll be a positive, no matter what.”"

House and the Rockets will vie for their third straight win in the last four games as they get ready to head on the road to face Marc Gasol and the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.