For the first time since signing with the organization, 6-foot-8 forward William Howard is being recalled to the Houston Rockets.
The 26-year-old Howard, who grew up in France, was signed by the Rockets to a Two-Way contract in late December. A player on a Two-Way contract is primarily a G League player, but he can spend up to 45 service days with his affiliate NBA team.
Until Wednesday, Howard had spent all of his time since signing that deal with Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
But he was recalled before Wednesday night’s home game versus Denver, and the plan is for Howard to be with the team on their upcoming four-game road trip — which begins Friday in Minnesota.
Howard was at Toyota Center in time for Wednesday’s tip-off, but he was not among the team’s active players for the game.
There are several potential reasons for the move. For starters, the Rockets (26-16) entered Wednesday with a season-long losing streak of four games, and a new player, in theory, could help provide a spark.
Beyond the recent slump, the upcoming road trip features four games in six days, which could make additional depth a priority for one of the NBA’s oldest rosters. Veteran forward P.J. Tucker recently acknowledged that he’s playing through nerve damage in his right shoulder.
Howard has averaged 13.9 points (53.4% shooting), 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals in 31.9 minutes per game in the G League this season. Perhaps most encouraging for the Rockets, he’s shooting 40.9% on 3-pointers on a high volume of 5.3 attempts per game.
On Tuesday, Howard scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in an 11-point victory for the Vipers (box score).
By the next day, he was on his way to join the Rockets in Houston, with hopes of making his NBA regular-season debut in the near future.
