On July 8, at 7 a.m. Beijing time, the Rockets played against the Blazers to kick off their summer league.
Rockets, 2023 NBA Summer League, roster, Tarry Ethan, Cam Whitmore, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson
The Houston Rockets are entering the fourth year of their rebuild, and their pieces are starting to fit together well. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengen remain the most important young players in the team and we have no reason to believe that they will not get better as the 2023-24 season approaches. But for the Rockets to move forward, the development of other young talent will be critical to helping them achieve their goals and, at the very least, threaten a playoff spot.
The 2023 NBA Summer League will provide an opportunity for Rockets fans around the world to focus on the progress made by players who should be a key part of their teams in the coming years. But which player should fans pay more attention to?
Here are 4 of the Rockets' most noteworthy players who will play for the Rockets in the 2023 Las Vegas Summer League.
Jabari Smith Jr
At the 2022 NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic decided to pick Paul Banchero first after much speculation, and the Rockets had to "accept" Jabari Smith Jr. as a consolation award. Smith is more inclined to be a supplementary player, a 6-foot-10 two-way monster who can shoot from deep with the best of them. So it's no surprise that Smith has had his struggles in his rookie season.
First, Smith didn't perform well on the field. Among qualified players, he shot 51.4 percent from the field, ranking fifth from the bottom in the NBA. And he didn't make up for it with scoring and organization.
Even so, Jabari Smith Jr.'s potential as a game-changer is clear. He is very flexible when defending and his height also helps him protect the box, especially when paired with Alperon Sengon.
But it's clear that his shooting choices still need improvement. He lacks the burst of dribbling to create separation for himself, and he often has to take difficult shots. This is partly due to the Rockets' lack of organization, ranking last in the league in assists per game. Perhaps with VanVleet on board, someone who is more willing to pass than everyone thinks, Smith can fit nicely into a catch-and-shoot role.
But the 20-year-old's dominance in Summer League will disappoint, especially for Rockets fans who want him to make significant progress in his second season.
Amen Thompson
Speaking of organizers, the Rockets drafted Amen Thompson, a legitimate data table popper, with the fourth pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Thompson uses his lightning-fast athleticism to easily past defenders, and his field vision allows him to do well to provide teammates with easy scoring opportunities.
With Fred VanVleet on board, not to mention Kevin Porter Jr., Thompson's attempt to become a full-time on-court leader can be tricky. Still, the 20-year-old guard should use Summer League as his playground to prove he can take on a bigger role than the Rockets gave him in his rookie season.
Whitmore
Ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft, there are concerns about Cam Whitmore's game. His assist percentage is terrible, even for a score-top-scoring winger, so he may need to go through a huge learning curve to make his game perfect enough to be a top-five or even top-ten option.
But with the 20th pick, Whitmore was a real steal. Whitmore's athletic talent is top-notch, and even if his feel for the game lags behind his crazy physical tools, he can still do what many potential players struggle to do when they enter the NBA: score.
Cam Whitmore scored at all three levels, and in college, his seductive athleticism made it easy for him to reach the basket. While his ability to hold the ball needs to improve before he can reach his ceiling, playing with other more capable playmakers should help him more easily become an in-cut or point-of-point threater.
Whitmore now has a burden on his shoulders — falling that far in the draft is not an easy task for him. Now it's his turn to show what the teams that abandon him will lose.
Tari Ethan
Tarry Eason is a reasonable example where summer league performance may be a more reasonable indicator of future performance. Of course, there are some wary stories (ahem, Anthony Bennett, ahem), but Eason Chan made an impression at last year's summer league, and in the end, he earned a spot in the Rockets' rotation and stayed there ever since.
Eason Chan's development in his second year will depend on his improved jump shot and ball handling, as well as his outside defense. For now, Eason Chan is more of an energetic man, a voluntary cutter and liar. But with Kenyon Martin Jr. gone, the road to more than 20 minutes off the bench is there, and he just needs to make the most of the opportunities in front of him.
Additional player data:
Amen Thompson
Whitmore
Chris Brandon
Deis
Fletcher McKee
Jabari Smith Jr
Jalen Lecque
Jay Huff
Jermaine Samuels Jr
Jonathan
Justin Johnson
Matthew Meyer
Miles
Nate Hinton
Ethan
Tijohn Rode
Trevor Hudgens
Mitchell