Danuel House Jr. has become a vital piece of the 76ers’ postseason puzzle

Danuel house
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 06: Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. (4) before the Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers game on February 06, 2020, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire)

Danuel House Jr. is one of the most underrated players on the 76ers roster, and it showed in his excellent Game 5 performance against the Boston Celtics.

Who is Danuel House Jr.?

One of the many ex-Rockets players that is on this current iteration of the Philadelphia 76ers, House Jr. was brought in this past summer in free agency on a two-year, 8.5 million dollar contract, with a player option on the last year. 

On the year, no stats really jump out at you as extremely impactful. The longtime 3&D specialist appeared in 56 games this season, averaging 14.4 minutes per game. He scored 4.8 points and grabbed 1.7 rebounds per game and shot a career-high 47.2% from the field and a slightly below-average 33.6% from three. Nothing super flashy, but definitely a respectable season. However, to see his true value, you have to jump into specific games.

Danuel House Jr. doesn’t always play a large number of minutes, but when he does, he shows up. On April 7th this year, Danuel House dropped 22 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in 36 minutes of play in a win against the Brooklyn Nets. For the entire month of March, House was shooting 53.5% from the field, and 40.0% from beyond the arc with an average of 4.4 points per game. November 27th, 2022, he drops 19 points in 25 minutes. And finally, perhaps most importantly, Danuel House played 15 minutes in Game 5 of the Boston Celtics and scored 10 points on 5/7 shooting.

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The hero the Sixers didn’t know they needed

While Danuel House will never be a flashy player in the box score, he is a reliable player who is constantly ready to come in and play significant minutes if need be. Star point guard James Harden had some supportive words for his former Houston and now Philadelphia teammate after the game and House clearly earned them. Danuel House Jr., isn’t going to drop 30 on anyone in the playoffs, and isn’t the greatest signing in the history of Daryl Morey, but he is an important piece of this 76ers team.

Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire