House back after long layoff
Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. on Monday returned to practice for the first time in more than three weeks, coming back from back spasms and a period in self-isolation because of NBA health and safety protocols.
The Rockets were not at full strength, however. Center Christian Wood, who missed the past two games with a sprained right ankle, was excused from Monday’s practice for what Rockets coach Stephen Silas called personal reasons. He is listed as doubtful to play against the Wizards on Tuesday.
House, who had been starting before his injury, will be eased back into the rotation after missing so much time, though Silas said he thought Monday’s practice was a good start.
“It’s going to take a little while for him to get back, kind of in the swing of things,” Silas said. “There was the back injury and then the COVID stuff, so yeah, it’s going to take him a little while to get back in the flow of what we have going on. I have to be smart about his minutes and how much he can do. He was good at practice today, though.”
For House, as welcome as getting back on the court against any team would be, the coincidence of having it come against the Wizards seemed well timed. The Wizards were his first NBA team and the opponent when he made his Rockets debut in 2018.
“My mom said the same thing this morning before I left the house,” House said. “I love the game. I’m just glad I get to play it again. It just so happened to be Washington.
“Now, when we’re playing Washington, we’re just playing Washington. It’s just one game on a calendar. It used to be like that for me because … they cut me. I wanted to show them, but that’s long gone for me now.”
Though House was not permitted by the health and safety protocols to be around the team, he said he was able to work on conditioning along with strengthening his core to address the back issue.
“Just a lot of body work, mobility,” House said. “The guys FaceTimed me, the strength and conditioning coaches Willie Cruz and Antwan ( Floyd) and the medical staff. We did a lot of plyometric stuff and core stability stuff. I feel good. It’s been a while since I’ve been out there, so everything is great to me.
“It’s very refreshing to be back on the court and represent my teammates, myself, my last name and this state, especially being from here.”
Defense the focus during workout
For the first time in weeks, the Rockets on Monday had a full practice with most of the rotation available and a day off the previous day to allow an emphasis on something besides rest. That offered a chance to “go live” to work far more than in most practices between games before playing the Washington Wizards, the NBA’s thirdleading scoring team, on Tuesday.
“We were really intentional about our pick-androll coverage and protection,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “It’s one thing to walk through that stuff, but it’s also another thing to go live when it comes to that. It was great to actually have a practice where … guys could get after it a little bit, and they can see not just the principles but the speed and quickness you have to have and the reaction time you have to have when it comes to playing defense, especially.
“You know, defense takes time, repetition. It takes attention to detail. And with the more repetition that we have, the better we get at it. That’s just a fact. And it’s very much related to being able to have a practice like we had today, but also using the different ways of teaching that we have, whether it’s writing it on the board or going to the video or walking through. The best teacher is actual game play, and the more games that we play seemed like the better you get.”
The Rockets have had the eighth-ranked defense in the NBA since the trade of James Harden for Victor Oladipo. They were the 22nd-ranked defense before the trade. But Monday’s practice was the first time Oladipo and John Wall have been on the court as teammates and comes before meeting the thirdleading scoring backcourt in the NBA, Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook.
“Russ is going to be downhill,” Silas said. “We have to make sure we get back in transition and not allow him to play to his strengths, which is in the paint, not allowing him to have angle because he’s so very good when he has angles. Brad Beal is a chore. He does a lot, whether it’s coming off pin-downs for his catch-and-shoot, whether it’s pick-and-roll, whether it’s isolation, he’s a tough guy to guard.”