Another undrafted rookie is making a splash in the league as Houston Rockets forward Gary Clark has had ‘positive discussions' with the team about converting his two-way contract into a standard NBA deal. Clark has been quite an insurance in the forward position after the Rockets decided to part ways forward Carmelo Anthony just 10 games into the season.
Kelly Iko of The Athletic wrote about the Rockets' recovery from respective injuries, including the mutual relationship between Clark and the Houston front office.
Clark has been in the regular rotation for so long, some might have forgotten he’s still on a two-way contract. With the recent tweaks to how two-way days are counted, Clark’s 45 days should expire somewhere around mid-December. Nothing is set in stone yet, but Houston and Clark’s representatives have had initial discussions about converting his deal to a standard NBA contract, a source told The Athletic. The discussions have been positive so far — Houston wants Clark in a Rockets uniform and both parties want to come to an agreement.
As previously mentioned, Clark took over Anthony's minutes when the Rockets decreased the All-Star's playing time before they eventually dismissed him from the team. It was a baptism of fire for the unheralded 24-year-old rookie as he immediately saw his minutes spike up and, at 6-foot-8, Clark showed he can be a versatile piece for the Rockets and more importantly, he's been steady on the defensive end. That's a characteristic that the Rockets desperately need to toughen up their defense and one of the primary reasons that Houston and Anthony weren't as compatible as either party had hoped.
While defense will be his ultimate trump card, Clark also needs to work on his perimeter game to become a primary three-and-D player for the Rockets.
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