Rockets' Mathews 'getting more used to playing'

The Houston Rockets have received a boost to the team’s offense since they claimed shooting guard Garrison Mathews off of waivers.

Mathews said that being claimed by the Rockets was a blessing and that he was ready to put in the work to help make the team better.

“It feels great. It’s everything I work for. I’m thankful I got the opportunity to be put in that position. I know a lot of people hope for that and work for that. I’m thankful it happened,” he said.

The organization needed Mathews to fill in for the injured Jalen Green, whom the team acquired with the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Mathews helped the Rockets end their 15-game skid by sinking a three-pointer in the final seconds of the Bulls game on Nov. 24, has seen action in the G League and is a Lipscomb University alum, according to the newspaper.

Mathews recently had a 20-point effort in the team’s win against the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 27 by shooting 5-for-9 from behind the three-point line, according to Pro Basketball Reference.

“We have been talking a lot lately about just shooting more threes,” he said. “Obviously, when you shoot more threes you can hopefully make more threes and I think that has been a huge reason why we have gotten some leads in these games is because we are all knocking down threes. We are not always going to shoot a great (percentage), some games are better than others, but when you are knocking down threes and shooting more threes you have more of chance to win.”

Mathews added that he has seen teams defensively adjust to his three-point shooting by closing out on him.

“It’s also me getting more used to playing,” he said. “This is my third year in the league so people know I can shoot the ball.”