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On Monday afternoon, the Houston Rockets announced in an official press release that they’ve signed former Celtics guard Demetrius Jackson to a two-way deal. This move represents the first two-way deal that the Rockets have given out, since the rule was added into the latest CBA this summer. With the signing of Jackson, the Rockets now have one more two-way deal that they’re still able to give out.
Regarding Jackson, the 2016 second-round player was released by the Celtics back on July 17th due to the team needing to make room for Abdel Nader. During his lone season with the team, Jackson spent the majority of his time in the G League with the Maine Red Claws.
In 32 games with the Red Claws, Jackson put up 14.8 points, 6 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals on 42% from the field in 33 minutes per game. Although those were definitely solid numbers, it wasn’t enough for him to get any kind of playing time with the Celtics as he played a total of 17 minutes with the big league club. That inactivity and above-average play with the Red Claws was probably some of the biggest factors behind him getting cut by the Celtics.
However, the 22-year-old will be getting a second chance after signing this two-way deal with the Rockets. Obviously, he’ll most of the season in the G League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, but Jackson could have an opportunity to spend up to 45 days with the Rockets. If he spends that entire timespan with the team, he would be set to earn $200,000. However, that solid play will remain if he stays in the G League as he’ll receive $75,000. That’s a significant improvement over the average G Leaguer that gets paid up to $26,000 for an entire season.
From the jump, Jackson will probably be asked to immediately step up as the leader of the RGV Vipers. Honestly, this hasn’t been a role that Jackson has been in since he was a junior at Notre Dame. Even with the Maine Red Claws, Jackson stood as the third wheel regularly behind Jalen Jones and Abdel Nader. However, it seems like Jackson has the skill-set that could allow him to stand as a solid two-way leader. On the offensive end, Jackson is a tremendous driver that can get to the paint whenever he desires. Jackson could also use his skills as a cutter to make some drive-and-dish assists.