Newly acquired wing Iman Shumpert will play his first game for the Houston Rockets on Saturday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, per head coach Mike D’Antoni.
Houston received Shumpert in a three-team-trade that involved the Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. The Rockets had to send out their 2019 first-round pick, two second-round picks (2020 and 2022) along with guard Brandon Knight and forward Marquese Chriss.
Shumpert started in 40 of the 42 games he played for Sacramento this season, averaging 8.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.12 steals in 26.2 minutes. He was shooting a near career-high 36.6 percent from three before the Rockets acquired him. Houston had a lot of positive things to say about Shumpert at practice Friday afternoon.
“The deadline was really about Iman Shumpert,” GM Daryl Morey said. “We’re excited with what he brings. He’s got playoff experience, been to the Finals multiple times, won a championship, can really shoot, and he’s very strong defensively.”
Mike D’Antoni coached Shumpert his rookie season with the New York Knicks and echoed similar sentiments.
“He shoots threes. He really gets after it defensively,” D’Antoni said. “I know the talent he has. We drafted him in New York for that reason.”
Shumpert has played particularly well against Oklahoma City this season, averaging 24.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals on 44.4 percent three-point shooting in two games. It will be interesting to see if he can keep it going in his Rockets debut Saturday night.
