After two consecutive mediocre performances, the Rockets two-way contract for their new forward star seems a little too hasty?

In a previous NBA Development League game, the Texas Legends, an NBA Development League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks, defeated the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, an affiliate of the Houston Rockets, at home, 119-110. After this game, the Texas Legends' record improved to 2 wins and 2 losses, while the Rio Grande Valley Vipers suffered two consecutive losses after the start of the season and currently have a record of 0 wins and 2 losses.

In this game, the performance of forward player Isaiah Crawford (Isaiah Crawford), a two-way contract player who was transferred to the Vipers by the Rockets, can only be regarded as so-so. Crawford played 36 minutes in the game, making 8 of 21 shots, 2 of 8 from beyond the three-point line, and 1 of 1 free throw. He scored 19 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal, including 4 offensive rebounds, and 3 turnovers, with a plus-minus of -8. It can be seen that Crawford works very hard and hopes to prove his strength, but his offensive efficiency is relatively average, his scoring ability is not fully utilized, his offensive effect is not ideal, and he also made many mistakes. Not only that, Crawford did not perform particularly well on the defensive end. Apart from his contribution in rebounding, his role in other aspects was not particularly obvious. Overall, Crawford did not show particularly outstanding strength on both ends of the offense and defense. He wasted a lot of shooting opportunities on the offensive end, which seemed a bit too hasty.

In the previous game when the team lost to the Oklahoma City Blue, a team affiliated with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Crawford's performance was actually relatively average. In 31 minutes of playing time, Crawford made 3 of 10 shots, 0 of 4 from beyond the three-point line, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 9 points, 13 rebounds, and 1 assist, including 7 offensive rebounds, and 6 fouls, with a plus-minus of -16. In the two games, Crawford's performance was somewhat similar. He did not work hard on the court. He was also relatively active on both ends of the offense and defense. However, from the actual effect, he did not play the role he should have on the court. His performance on both ends of the offense and defense cannot be considered particularly ideal.

Crawford was born in November 2001. He has just turned 24 years old and was the undrafted pick in last year's NBA draft. According to data from the G League Elite Training Camp before the 2024 NBA Draft, Crawford's barefoot height is 196.2cm, his wingspan is 214.6cm, his standing reach is 268cm, and his weight is 98.2kg. After the draft, the Kings immediately offered Crawford a two-way contract, which also shows that they are very optimistic about Crawford. In the NBA regular season last season, Crawford represented the Sacramento Kings in 15 games as a two-way contract player, averaging 3 minutes per game. He averaged 0.9 points, 0.5 rebounds, 0.1 assists, 0.1 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game. He also had 0.1 turnovers and 0.1 fouls. He shot 45.5% from the field, 20% from the three-point range, and 50% from the free throw line.

Crawford performed poorly in the NBA Summer League this summer, and the Kings eventually withdrew their qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. However, the Rockets were very optimistic about Crawford's potential, and they offered him a two-way contract soon after. In the previous preseason games, Crawford played a total of 4 times for the Rockets, averaging 11.6 minutes per game. He averaged 6.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 0.8 steals per game. He also had 0.2 turnovers and 1.5 fouls. He shot 55% from the field and 50% from the three-point range. In the NBA regular season this season, Crawford has not had a chance to play so far. For Crawford, what he needs to do at this stage is to seize the opportunity to prove his strength in the NBA Development League, but he cannot be too hasty, otherwise it will not be of much benefit to his performance.