The Houston Rockets had one of the most exciting collections of talent on a Summer League roster that Las Vegas has ever seen.

First-round pick Cam Whitmore took home the NBA2k24 Summer League MVP award, but the brief performances of last year's second overall selection Jabari Smith Jr. (35.5 PPG), Tari Eason (23 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 4 APG) and Amen Thompson (16-4-4 with 3 steals and 4 blocks) were incredible as well.

Rockets new head coach Ime Udoka learned a lot about his talented young core in Summer League, and the team may have unearthed a hidden gem as well.

The one undrafted player with a chance at making Houston's 2023-24 roster is Jermaine Samuels.

Samuels is a familiar face in the college basketball world, as he was a fixture in Villanova's lineup over the last four years. The 6-foot-7 forward went undrafted in 2022 and spent last year with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA G League, where he averaged 18.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game on 66.6 percent shooting. Samuels has a bulky frame and the ability to guard multiple positions, which is something Udoka prioritized in his time with the Boston Celtics.

Samuels, like most former Villanova Wildcats who played under Jay Wright, is fundamentally sound and makes the simple play offensively. He can easily serve as a role player next to Houston's scorers, filling in the gaps by moving the ball and making extra-effort plays. The Rockets' roster is stocked full of isolation scorers but needs players who can be the connective tissue to each other, and Samuels has the basketball IQ to do just that.

The missing piece of the puzzle for Samuels is a reliable 3-point shot, and it's something he's actively working on, according to Villanova.com.

“My game is evolving,” Samuels said. “I'm just trying to sharpen a lot of tools, mainly my shooting. The rest I feel like I can continue to do pretty well. I feel like I'm more prepared now, after a year as a professional than I was then. You have to be ready for anything. You never know what can happen.”

Samuels shot 46.2 percent from 3-point land in 32 G League games last year…but only attempted 1.2 threes a game. He'll need to prove he can be an effective threat from deep, as spacing the floor for all of Houston's capable slashers will be paramount this season. With Dillon Brooks and Alperen Sengun commanding a lot of playing time, the Rockets will be hard-pressed to play any non-shooters next to them.

Even with that said, there's positive momentum for Samuels to win a roster spot, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported.

The Rockets currently have 12 guaranteed contracts on the roster, which leaves room for Samuels to win a roster spot during preseason. There are always a lot of moving parts on a young team under a new head coach, but Samuels is versatile and adaptable enough to adjust to the unknown and amplify the players around him, as he told Villanova.com.

“I don't know what's going to happen,” he states, “but I know I'm built for it. I'm ready to tackle what the game will give me. Obviously, the goal is to play in the NBA.”

Despite going undrafted in 2022 and playing behind Houston's top-billed prospects, Samuels gave himself a great chance to make that goal happen with a successful Summer League stint.