Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. returned to game action Thursday in Toronto after a two-game absence due to illness.
The 26-year-old has been one of Houston’s best shooters and wing defenders this season. House averages 12.4 points in 29.7 minutes per game on 47.4% shooting overall and 44.4% from three-point range. His athleticism and length at 6-foot-6 is also important, considering that Houston’s alternative wing options are somewhat undersized.
In the game before his illness absence began, House set a career-high with 23 points in 34 minutes during a win last Wednesday versus Miami.
Though House has started most of the season for the Rockets (13-7) at small forward, he came off the bench Thursday at Toronto (15-5) behind 6-foot-3 guard Ben McLemore. The change was made because the Rockets weren’t sure how much endurance House would have in his first game coming off an illness, which he had characterized as the flu.
McLemore has played much better in the starting lineup this year, where he’s averaged 16.3 points (47.1% shooting, 39.7% on three-pointers) and 4.7 rebounds in 30.8 minutes. By contrast, the 2013 former NBA Draft lottery pick is averaging just 4.9 points (27.4% shooting, 25.0% on three-pointers) and 1.4 rebounds in 17.0 minutes per game as a reserve.
It sounds as if House will return to his usual starting role — and McLemore back to the bench — for the team’s next game, which occurs Saturday when the Phoenix Suns visit Houston.
