Zhou Qi, second-year center from China, has been waived by the Houston Rockets, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Sources on @TheAthleticNBA @WatchStadium: The Houston Rockets have waived Chinese center Zhou Qi.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 17, 2018
Qi had recently been assigned to the Rockets G-League affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers following a knee injury.
A dominant player during his time in the Chinese Basketball Association with Xinjiang Flying Tigers, Qi led the CBA in blocks in both 2015 and 2016, was CBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, and a three time all-star between 2015 to 2017.
Qi was selected 43rd overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, agreeing to a multi-year deal with the Houston Rockets in 2017. Despite Qi’s dominance in China, he never came close to replicating his success in the NBA, averaging only 1.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per game, obtaining a career field goal percentage of just 21.2% in his 19 games for the Houston Rockets.
The news of Qi’s waiving is the most recent move by a Rockets team discontent with its current roster, having performed below expectations at 14-14 on the season. Last month, the Rockets parted ways with Carmelo Anthony, and have since been rumored to be targeting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of the Los Angeles Lakers.
