Is Danuel House Jr. Out of 76ers’ Rotation? Doc Rivers Explains

Unless a player is in the Philadelphia 76ers’ starting five, or they’re Georges Niang, then gaining steady minutes in the rotation is a tough competition, as spots are not guaranteed. Sixers veteran Danuel House Jr. is the latest to find that out.

In the offseason, House joined the Sixers as one of their first signings when free agency opened up. Considering the Sixers were accused of tampering to land the former Houston Rockets wing, one could’ve assumed House would have a steady role in Philadelphia.

At first, House did. Through the first nine games of the season, House averaged 17 minutes on the floor before taking two games off due to the flu. When House returned for another 13 games, he averaged 20 minutes on the court and even picked up two starts with other guys out.

Throughout the entire season, House averaged roughly 17 minutes on the floor. During that time, the veteran put up five points per game while draining 34 percent of his threes on two attempts per game.

Lately, though, it appears House is currently out of the rotation as he’s failed to pick up any minutes in three of the last four games.

When the Sixers opened up the week against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, House suited up but didn’t play. The same went for Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers. Without House garnering any minutes, Doc Rivers has utilized a heavier dose of the defensive standout Matisse Thybulle.

After Wednesday’s win over the Pacers, Rivers explained his decision to have House on the bench for the time being.

“I think Matisse is playing terrific defense,” said Rivers. “It’s really helped us. He’s staying aggressive. Indiana was smart. They started trapping because they knew he was on the floor, that’s why we had to get him off, but overall he’s been fantastic for us.”

All season long, Rivers preached that the rotation would have guys in and out. Several players, including Thybulle, Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, Paul Reed, and Montrezl Harrell, have garnered steady minutes for stretches while also remaining on the bench and picking up DNPs.

House is just the latest player to deal with that situation. While he might be out of the rotation temporarily, history says it might not be long before another opportunity arises for the veteran wing.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.