Inside The Rockets

N'Faly Dante Gives Rockets Their Young Big Man

The Houston Rockets could benefit from rookie center N'Faly Dante.

Jeremy Brener

Mar 23, 2024; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Oregon Ducks center N'Faly Dante (1) dunks the ball against Creighton Bluejays guard Baylor Scheierman (55) in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Mar 23, 2024; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Oregon Ducks center N'Faly Dante (1) dunks the ball against Creighton Bluejays guard Baylor Scheierman (55) in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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The Houston Rockets added to their big man rotation by signing undrafted free agent N'Faly Dante to a two-way deal out of Oregon.

Dante, who turns 23 later this month, averaged a career-best 17.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 21 games with the Ducks this past season.

Now in the NBA, Dante gives the Rockets a young big man that they can develop, which the team was lacking before.

Alperen Sengun is the big man of the future for the Rockets, so that part has already been decided, but there isn't much youth behind him. Houston employs Steven Adams and Jock Landale, who should both take care of the backup center duties throughout the season, which likely will ice Dante out of any legitimate playing time with the Rockets this year.

That means Dante can spend majority of his season in the G League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, where he can work on his game in hopes of grabbing a legitimate spot on the team next year.

There isn't a guarantee that Dante is part of the Rockets' long-term plans, but if he can put his head down, work and learn from the veterans and coaches he is surrounded by, he could emerge as a sound NBA player someday.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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