The Houston Rockets just signed JD Davison to a two-way contract, per the NBA’s transaction logs, stealing him away from the Boston Celtics after they waived him earlier in the week. Davison won G League MVP last season, leading the Maine Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals, but after three years on a two-way deal in Boston, he’s now with a new home.
Houston provides Davison with a fairly intriguing opportunity. Though the Rockets will certainly look to be very competitive next season, their guard depth isn’t incredible. And if Davison dominates the G League again, he could be a great project for them.
It all comes down to a few key skills.
How can JD Davison help the Rockets?
Davison has been a force in the G League for the past few seasons. Capped off with last year’s MVP award, he’s been a walking double-double with points and assists, leading Maine’s offense to impressive heights along the way.
Unfortunately, opportunities with Boston haven’t come his way. The Celtics have been in the championship mix for the last few years, leaving them very little wiggle room to squeeze in developmental minutes for Davison.
He could run into a similar problem in Houston, but there’s one key difference: The Rockets’ guard depth isn’t quite as good.
Now, this may not mean much, as the Rockets could prefer to run some bigger lineups with Amen Thompson and Kevin Durant as primary ball-handlers, leaving less room for guards, but the point remains.
Outside of Kevon Harris, who is also on a two-way contract in Houston, the only true guards on the roster are Fred VanVleet, Reed Sheppard, Josh Okogie, and Aaron Holiday.
At this point, all of those guys are likely ahead of Davison. But Okogie and Holiday could be jumped pretty easily if Davison finally fully develops his three-point shot.
He’s already an elite playmaker with explosive athleticism, capable of cutting off the ball for big-time jams. If the three-point shot comes around and he continues to improve on defense, he could be on Ime Udoka’s radar.
At the very least, Davison earning a contract with the Rockets gives him a chance to continue to improve in the G League in a new situation.
Boston is losing out on a solid young guard, but it was quickly becoming clear that he wasn’t going to go anywhere with the Celtics. Now, he’ll have a chance to prove himself in Houston.