Danuel House Jr. is bringing motivation — and on-court contributions — to Sixers

MILWAUKEE — When the 76ers fell into a 13-point second-half deficit during a March 15 visit to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Danuel House Jr. believed it was time to speak up in a timeout huddle.

“We needed to win that game,” House recently recalled to The Inquirer. “It’s not about who’s playing at the moment. It’s about us at the end of the day, as a unit, as a team. I just talked to them, spoke them up, words of encouragement, and guys came out and they responded well — really well.”

Multiple teammates referenced House’s motivational message, without prompting, as a turning point of what became a key 118-109 victory — and as a tone-setter for the Sixers’ run of eight consecutive road wins during a brutal March.

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That’s an example of House’s impact throughout this season, whether he is in the rotation or not. More recently, however, the veteran wing has gotten more opportunity to contribute on the floor. He has played double-digit minutes in nine of the Sixers’ last 17 games, including scoring eight points during the second quarter — the stretch coach Doc Rivers identified as the game’s decisive stretch — of Friday’s win over the Toronto Raptors. House embodies a deeper and more flexible Sixers roster heading into the playoffs, along with the mentality required to stay ready and stay mature no matter how many minutes he logs.

“It takes a lot of focus. It takes a lot of energy,” House said. " … But you’ve got to sacrifice. Sacrifice is the biggest key, so you can set in your mind — or for your life — what’s really important. This is important to me. Not because of the money. I’ve been playing since I was a kid. Went to college. Got a degree and played.

“All I know is playing. All I’ve been trying to do is resume playing, stick [in the rotation] and just help the team.”

House flashed many of the qualities during Friday’s win that made him a notable free-agent signing last summer, after he revived his career with the Utah Jazz and previously played with James Harden with the Houston Rockets.

In that second-quarter burst, House got free for a fast-break layup, nailed a corner three-pointer, and hit the floor while finishing inside through contact for an old-fashioned three-point play. Later in the game, he dished a transition pass to big man Paul Reed that led to a foul, before battling to save a loose ball. House primarily played alongside Reed and Jalen McDaniels, creating a second unit with intriguing defensive ability.

“There’s times you just need another athlete on the floor,” Rivers said of House after the game. “He’s a benefit to us.”

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Yet much of House’s work this season has occurred on his own, after he was squeezed out of a rotation spot among a crowded wing group for the better part of two months.

Rivers sensed, initially, that the demotion was “difficult” for House, though “it didn’t take him long to snap out of it,” the coach added. House trained daily with skill development coach Reggie Redding, running through shooting drills and one-on-one matchups “so I could be ready.” Rivers said House also “dominated” scrimmages featuring non-rotation players, helping him focus on where to be without the ball within the offensive system.

Outside the facility, House leaned on conversations with friends and family — particularly his cousin Rodney, who reminded him, “When times get tough, it’s built in you, not on you.”

“I always take a lot of love and interest in guys like him — who are still positive, still good energy, comes in and plays hard, " said veteran forward P.J. Tucker, who also was House’s teammate with the Rockets. " … Every team needs that — not guys on the bench that are kind of mad they’re not playing.”

House received renewed opportunity during the Sixers’ first grueling stretch last month, when they sprinkled in injury management for heavy-minute players while playing five games in seven nights. He totaled six points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 17 minutes in a March 1 win at the Miami Heat played without MVP contender Joel Embiid. House then started and scored 10 points in a win at the Indiana Pacers three games later, his first double-digit scoring output since late November. A sore shoulder kept him out of two games on a recent road trip, but he slid back into the rotation when starting forward Tobias Harris missed Friday’s home contest with a non-COVID illness.

With playing time, House has reminded that he can make corner three-pointers, capped with a bow-and-arrow celebration for his Marvel movie-loving kids. He is a physical rebounder and defender, with an ability to switch on screens. Rivers said House is a better-than-expected passer off the dribble. And House can elevate with power for poster-worthy dunks, saying with a sly grin that he has been working on his leg strength.

House also quickly became a gregarious locker-room presence, bringing enthusiasm and humor to conversations with teammates and visitors before and after games. On the most recent road trip, for example, topics ranged from global politics, to the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, to his love of Dr. Pepper.

“He’s not a hard guy to be around,” Rivers said. “He’s as funny as any human being on Earth.”

Yet, House also knows when it’s time to turn serious, such as during that huddle in Cleveland. He called that speech an example of his team’s overall evolution to hold each member accountable, adding, “We’re getting everything much more out of people and seeing stuff that we thought we wouldn’t be able to see out of people, because we’re raising the bar up high.”

It also exemplifies House’s season-long impact, whether he sees the court or not.

“A real leader can captivate and motivate and energize the room,” House said. “It’s one thing to do stuff for people. But to energize and speak it into them or let them know that they can do it themselves, that’s an even bigger power to others, because you’re not letting them be a liability.”