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Rockets’ Josh Christopher nears triple-double in G League

Cody Taylor
·2 min read

Houston Rockets rookie Josh Christopher neared a triple-double on Wednesday during his first game with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA G League.

Christopher recorded 15 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot during the 134-99 win over the Austin Spurs. He finished by shooting 6-of-15 from the field and was a plus-21 on the court in 29 minutes of work.

The 24th overall pick has played sparingly with the Rockets to start the season, averaging just three points in 11 appearances. He had the opportunity to showcase his game and looked to be highly effective during his first assignment with the Vipers.

Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said on Wednesday the opportunity to play with the Vipers will be a good experience for Christopher to work on his overall game. The team hasn’t had much practice time as of late so Christopher was able to see extended time with the Vipers.

The Rockets likely would have sent Christopher to the Vipers much sooner had it not been for the injury to Kevin Porter Jr. With Porter returning on Wednesday, the team sent Christopher down to Rio Grande Valley and he will likely spend much of the next week with them.

Silas expressed how beneficial the Vipers can be for the Rockets.

It’s super important. There is a close connection between our team and RGV and the way (they) run their team is very similar to how I run my team. For those guys to go down and play in a way they would play here is really important.

We’re not looking for them to play differently when they go down there. We’re looking for them to play the way they would play here if they were getting minutes so when they get those minutes, they will be able to jump in and not really have that lag that you sometimes see as a result of just being here the whole time and not getting your reps.

The Vipers have two games left on their current homestand and it is likely Christopher will play in both of those contests before returning to Houston. He hasn’t played much with the Rockets but still flashed his potential on assignment.

Rio Grande Valley plays next on Friday versus the Birmingham Squadron.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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