Rockets Begin to Round Out Impressive Summer League Roster

This team won't be easy to beat.

Jul 7, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Houston Rockets guard/forward Nate Hinton (62) keeps the ball in play against Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) during the first half at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

The Summer League is set to kick off next week, as the official games will begin on Monday, July 8th. The league has grown in popularity in recent years, as it's allowed fans to get their first look at players recently selected in the NBA Draft.

The Houston Rockets have generally fielded a competitive team, as they've encouraged second and third year players to utilize the league as an avenue to further develop their game and hone their craft. Even if only for two games, the Rockets have made it known that they're open to players suiting up in the Summer League.

Last year, Jabari Smith Jr. put on an absolute show in the Summer League, to the tune of 35.5 points per contest, while Tari Eason also flashed spectacular play in the summer showcase. Rockets coach Ime Udoka took to SportsTalk 790 to explain the Rockets' usage of the Summer League as an early evaluation tool.

"Taking it back to last year, Amen Thompson played three quarters of a game and you saw everything you needed to see. Cam obviously won MVP and then Jabari and Tari played two games and they were dominant. So you know that end of the season run for them translated into Summer League and then carried over into this season.

You can get a really good look at guys' competitiveness and IQ and all of those things..

And their character, work ethic,. Some guys have had rough starts to their career in Summer League and by the end of Summer League, they're playing great and show you how fast someone can adapt to the NBA game and different things thrown at them.

The IQ part, our coaches get their hands on these guys for a few weeks now and get our first real chance to see them. So yeah, you can definitely get things from that."

The Rockets' Summer League roster is beginning to round out, as several players have already been confirmed to be on the roster next week. The confirmed roster (thus far) is listed below.

• Reed Sheppard
• Cam Whitmore
• Nate Williams
• AJ Griffin
• N’Faly Dante
• Nate Hinton
• Jermaine Samuels

We'll be sure to keep you posted when the roster is made official, but as for now, it appears as though the Rockets will be sending a formidable group to Las Vegas.

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