Luc Mbah a Moute Excited to Join Russell Westbrook, Rockets

Luc Mbah a Moute will have two reunions when he returns to the Rockets for the NBA's restart in Orlando. On a professional level, Mbah a Moute will return to Houston after one year with the Rockets in 2017-18, a season that marked one of the most productive stretches of his career. Mbah a Moute's other reunion has been far longer in the making. 

Houston's new forward was an impact player in three seasons at UCLA from 2005-08, winning Pac-10 Rookie of the Year as a freshman. Mbah a Moute's final two seasons in Westwood found him paired with Russell Westbrook, which coincided with back-to-back Final Four appearances for the Bruins. 

Mbah a Moute noted his excitement to play with Westbrook on Tuesday. 

"This is my only teammate that I played in college with that I wanted to play in the pros with," Mbah a Moute told FOX 26 Houston's Mark Berman. "We’ve always had so many memories, Russ and I from school. Now being on the same team, it’s going to be a lot of fun, a lot of laughs from some of the stuff we used to say. How we used to act. It’s just funny. I’m excited for sure to be back in the trenches with him."

Mbah a Moute 7.5 points and 25.6 minutes per game with the Rockets in 2017-18. He made 15 regular-season starts, but did not play in the final four games of the Western Conference finals. The UCLA product played just four games with the Clippers last season. 

The Rockets enter the NBA's restart No. 6 in the Western Conference at 40–24. They are looking to make their first Finals appearance since 1995.