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The Houston Rockets are still reeling from the James Harden saga and are expected to be in the lottery for another few years. They are not capable of making a push for the play-in tournament and even if they manage to win enough games, they are statistically bound to lose. The short-term goal of the franchise is to develop its young players and get high draft picks.
Notably, they are further along on their quest to re-enter the playoffs than any other rebuilding franchise. They have an established core of Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., Jae'Sean Tate, Alperen Sengun and others, with an influx of draft picks.
The Rockets are an interesting team to root for in the NBA Summer League as they are beaming with young talent. They did not take part in the California Classic or Salt Lake City Summer League and will now directly play in the NBA 2K23 Summer League in Nevada.
Houston Rockets' roster for the Las Vegas Summer League
The Houston Rockets' draft picks from the last two years will be on display in Las Vegas and will headline their roster.
Fans will come to see Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and TyTy Washington, who were selected third, 17th and 29th, respectively, in last month's draft. All rumors and news reports before draft night pointed to Smith going as the first pick to Orlando, but the Magic selected Paolo Banchero instead. Smith fell in Houston's lap, and now the league is eagerly waiting for his debut.
Usman Garuba and Josh Christopher are also part of the lineup, who were drafted 23rd and 24th overall, respectively, in 2021. Their 2nd and 16th overall picks in the same draft – Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun – are surprisingly not part of the roster. Undrafted in that draft, Daishen Nix is part of the summer league roster.
Here is the Houston Rockets' Summer League roster:
Additionally, NBA G League players include Anthony Lamb and Trhae Mitchell of the Rockets' affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Also on the roster is Jordan Allen of the Cavaliers' affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.
Rockets assistant coach Rick Higgins is the team's summer league head coach.
Houston Rockets Summer League Schedule and dates
The Rockets go up against three Western Conference rivals and one Eastern conference team. They'll face fellow rebuilding franchises, the Orlando Magic and OKC Thunder, and can measure their young talent against theirs.
NBA TV will nationally televise the Rockets' last game against Portland, and the first three games will be broadcast by ESPN and its family of networks, including ESPN2. All four games will be at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus.
Poll : Should the Houston Rockets target the NBA play-in tournament?
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