Matthew Hurt waived by Houston Rockets

Matthew Hurt Illinois.jpg — Matthew Hurt elevates over Illinois big men Kofi Cockburn (#21) and Giorgi Bezhanishvili (#15) this past season. The former John Marshall star was an all-ACC player this past season as a sophomore at Duke. He had signed a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets in August, but on Friday was waived by the team. Contributed / Duke University

By Post Bulletin staff reports

September 26, 2021 at 8:03 PM

Former Rochester John Marshall and Duke University basketball star Matthew Hurt was waived on Friday by NBA team Houston.

Hurt, who went undrafted this summer after entering the NBA Draft in the spring, had signed a two-way free-agent contract with the Rockets in early August. But the 6-foot-9 forward received little playing time on Houston’s summer league team as he had trouble finding a spot on a crowded Rockets bench. On Friday, Houston waived the sharpshooter to open up a spot for a future player.

NBA teams begin training camp on Monday, Sept. 27.

Hurt now becomes a free agent, free to sign with a different NBA franchise or potentially play abroad.

Hurt averaged 18.3 points and 6.2 rebounds this past season at Duke as a sophomore, shooting 52.6% from the field overall and 42.1% on 3-pointers.

Hurt was the second leading scorer in the prestigious ACC and was named the league’s Most Improved Player.