Houston Signs Matthew Hurt To A Two-Way

Matthew Hurt had a terrific sophomore year at Duke but NBA teams have concerns about his speed and how his game, other than shooting, would translate to the NBA.

He does have a tremendous shot though and the most basic thing in basketball is to put the ball through the net.

Recognizing this, the Houston Rockets signed him to a two-way contract Friday. Interestingly, he turned down his home state team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, to sign with the Rockets.

Footspeed is obviously critical for any basketball player but it’s not necessarily the end-all and be-all. You could make a list of smart players who didn’t have great foot speed who carved out solid or spectacular careers: Steve Kerr, Sidney Lowe, Brook and Robin Lopez, Meyers Leonard, Aron Baynes, Kelly Olynk, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. We love JJ Redick but people have questioned his athleticism his entire career.

What all of these guys have in common is that they were (or are) consumnate professionals who worked hard and found ways to be valuable to their teams.

There’s no reason why Hurt can’t do that too.