David Nwaba on Monday made his first start since March 2019 when he was with Cleveland, moving into the Rockets’ starting lineup with Danuel House Jr. out. Nwaba, who did not play at all last Thursday against the Kings, got the nod to defend Mavericks star Luka Doncic.
With the Pacers a much more balanced offense built on more ball and player movement, Rockets coach Stephen Silas said Monday he had not decided if he would stick with Nwaba in the starting lineup. But even with the loss and Doncic’s big night, the plan might have worked as intended.
“I thought he’d bring defensive intensity,” Silas said. “I thought he’d bring strength, quickness against Luka. We wanted to make Luka more of a scorer, less of a passer. Luka’s greatness is in his passing. David was fighting through and really making it hard on Luka. Second half, he drew two charges on Luka. But Luka’s special. He’s really special.”
In one sense, the strategy worked. In a game Doncic scored 33 points with 11 assists, Nwaba defended him for 13.7 possessions. Doncic made 2 of 6 shots and had three turnovers without an assist while matched up against Nwaba. Doncic, who came into the game making 16.1 percent of his 3s but made 3 of 10 shots from deep Monday, took advantage of switches and helped set up the hot shooting around him in the second half.
Still, Nwaba, who made 2 of 6 shots, 1 of 3 from the 3-point line and missed all four of his free throws, said he expects more from himself.
“It’s tough. You always have to stay ready, having have to keep a positive mindset about everything,” Nwaba said. “You never know when your opportunity is going to present itself. I have to be better at that. I didn’t step it up. But I’ll be better from here on out.
“It’s a great feeling to know the coach believes in me and what I bring to this game. I just got to go out there and just compete.”
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January 06, 2021 at 06:26AM
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Rockets' David Nwaba may be in line for another start - Houston Chronicle
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