Rockets coach Stephen Silas explains Josh Christopher’s trip to G League

HOUSTON — As the Rockets concluded practice Saturday at Toyota Center, one familiar face usually seen putting up extra shots afterward was missing. Second-year guard Josh Christopher was not in attendance, as he was sent to the team’s NBA G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers, a day earlier.

Christopher, 21, received only five minutes of playing time in the 118-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, and all after the game was out of reach. It had become a recurring theme.

Head coach Stephen Silas believes that assigning Christopher to the G League will help him get his rhythm back and earn him more playing time in a rotation where he has consistently been behind Daishen Nix and Garrison Mathews to start the 2022-23 season.

“He needed some minutes, he needed to get out there and play,” Silas said after Saturday’s practice. “He needed to get his confidence back, and just let it flow a little bit. He had a great game last night (Friday), and he is going to play again today, and then he will be back, and we will see what happens after that.”

“But we have talked and had a bunch of conversations about it. We value him so much that for him to get out of rhythm and for him to get spot minutes here and there, it made sense for him to be able to go on a back-to-back and play a couple of games or so for the Vipers.”

In his first Vipers appearance, Christopher helped RGV extend its winning streak to eight games, finishing with 35 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds in Friday’s game versus the Lakeland Magic.

“He needed some minutes and to get his confidence back,” said Rockets head coach Stephen Silas about the decision to send guard Josh Christopher to the G-League. Coach Silas also made mention of Christopher returning soon. #LightTheFuse #Sarge @TheRocketsWire @Jaygup23 pic.twitter.com/xih58rVNoe

— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) December 10, 2022

In his Saturday remarks, Silas emphasized that sending the No. 24 overall draft pick out of the NBA’s 2021 first round to RGV was not a demotion, adding that Christopher welcomed the opportunity to get more minutes in a competitive setting.

“For him to want to go down and take the time, to not have any kind of animosity or feel bad about it, just go down there and hoop and then get 35 last night says a lot about what his character is, and who he is as a person and a player,” Silas said. “So, yeah, it’s not a demotion at all, and he doesn’t see it as a demotion. His perspective, his personality, everything about him is really good.”

Christopher is expected to rejoin the Rockets on Sunday before the 6 p.m. tipoff versus the Milwaukee Bucks at Toyota Center.