Trevor Hudgins Steps Up To Keep Rockets Undefeated In Summer League Play

In the absences of Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr., second-year undrafted prospect Trevor Hudgins stepped up huge to keep the Houston Rockets undefeated in Summer League play.

The Houston Rockets remained undefeated Tuesday night in a 105-92 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder inside the Thomas & Mack Center. And with two games left in the Las Vegas Summer League tournament, the Rockets appear to be the favorite to take home the championship title on July 17. 

Winning the Summer League championship was the ultimate goal for Jabari Smith Jr. He helped Houston begin their impressive run by averaging 35.5 points through the first two games. But after Houston shut down Smith, and Tari Eason, the Rockets had a significant void to fill. 

Instead of folding, Houston improved to 3-0 in Summer League play due to the performance of Trevor Hudgins.

"Jabari and Tari were out, and we had to step up to get this win," Hudgins said. "We are a good group and we have good coaches."

Hudgins led the Rockets in scoring with 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting and seven assists. He also accounted for five of the Rockets' 15-made triples. 

Hudgins displayed the talents that made him a two-time Player of the Year winner during his college days at Northwest Missouri State. He credited his play to the experience gained last season as a two-way player who signed with the Rockets as an undrafted prospect in June 2022.

He spent most of his rookie season assigned to the Rockets' G League affiliate team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In 28 games for the defending G League champions, Hudgins averaged 20.0 points and 6.1 assists while connecting on an average of 4.5 triples. 

During the first two games of summer league play, Hudgins was a spark playing second fiddle to Eason and Smith. But against the Thunder, Hudgins proved the high-volume shooting and dependable play-making he displayed in the Valley wasn't a fluke. 

"Just come out and be aggressive," Hudgins said. "Come out and control the game and be willing to take shots. They believe in my shot. I believe in my shot. I just need to keep shooting like I did today and they will eventually fall. They did today and I am happy about that."

The Rockets re-signed Hudgins to his second two-way contract at the start of free agency.

Hudgins will continue to hone his craft with the Vipers next season. But whenever the Rockets need assistance from their G League affiliation, Hudgins will be the primary call-up for Houston.

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