AFTER joining the G League and reviving his career with a standout season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, a return to the NBA appears on the way for Josh Christopher, who made his opportunities count from a two-way contract with the Miami Heat.

Christopher’s NBA journey began when he was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the 24th overall selection in the 2021 draft a few years ago. A highly touted shooting guard who had impressed during his time at Arizona State, Christopher was an exciting recruit for the Rockets, and made his NBA debut with five points in eight minutes.

However, despite many promising performances in his debut season, he was taken out of the rotation in his second campaign, and did not have the opportunity to showcase his skills at the top level. Christopher was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, but waived shortly after.

The guard returned to the G League with the Salt Lake City Stars, and impressed over 22 appearances with the team, garnering some interest from NBA sides and showing what he is truly capable of on the offensive end.

Christopher signed this season with the Heat on a two-way deal, spending time with the G League affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce, with whom he spent the final three months of the previous campaign. Still at 23 years of age, he still has plenty of basketball ahead of him, and he showed that with the Skyforce.

He became a focal point of the team’s offence, posting 20-plus points at a consistent rate and leading the team to some on-court success as well, particularly at the Winter Showcase tournament in Orlando, averaging 31 points across three games.

He won Player of the Month honours for his efforts at the tournament in December, and tied the G League record for most points during the Tip-Off Tournament as well, where he also showed an ability to find the bottom of the net.

With the Force pushing for a playoff berth, Christopher lifted, putting the team on his back with the season on the line to post five consecutive games of 24-plus points in a heroic individual effort from the guard. The team unfortunately missed the playoffs but Christopher could not have done much more to drag his team over the line.

He was named to the All-NBA G League Third Team for his efforts throughout the 2024/25 season, and showcased an excellent scoring ability that proved match-winning for the Force on multiple occasions over the past few months.

On the season, Christopher averaged 20.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game on 41.5 per cent shooting from the field, 29.8 per cent shooting from three-point land and 77.6 per cent shooting from the charity stripe in a career-best campaign.