Rockets 2021 player recaps: Khyri Thomas

Khyri Thomas

The 25-year-old Thomas came to the Houston Rockets in May on a 10-day contract and proceeded to immediately make his presence known. He went for 16 points on 6-7 shooting in his first game in a Rockets uniform and then followed that up with a 27-point night in which he also racked up 5 boards, 3 assists, 5 steals, and 2 blocks.

In fact, Thomas played in just five total game with Houston this year, and he scored double-digit points in four of them. He finished that five-game stretch averaging 16.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on 48.5 percent shooting from the field and 31.6 percent from deep.

The 6’3” shooting guard played the best stretch of ball of his pro career, but as we’ve mentioned before, it’s hard to get a true gauge on a younger player on a bad team. Someone has to put up numbers.

And Thomas has bounced around in many places before this, unable to stick. The second-round pick has spent time with the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, and San Antonio Spurs before coming to H-town, but he never made a huge impression.

He did show something with the Rockets though, so I’m sure that means he’ll get a camp invite at the very least. He’ll likely be battling it out with a myriad of other young players, however, including Armoni Brooks, Anthony Lamb, and Cam Reynolds for a back-end roster spot.

Once Eric Gordon is dealt (pretty much an eventual inevitability), there will be an opening in the rotation for a shooting guard, so maybe Thomas can parlay his five-game success into something bigger with the Rockets. Stay tuned.