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The Houston Rockets are approaching Year 4 of their rebuild, and their pieces are starting to come together nicely. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun remain the team's most important young players, and there's no reason to believe that they won't get better as we approach the 2023-24 season. But for the Rockets to the take the next step, the development of their other young talents would be crucial to helping them achieve their goal of, at the very least, threatening for a play-in tournament spot.
The 2023 NBA Summer League will be an opportunity for Rockets fans around the globe to keep an eye out on the progress the players who should be crucial parts of the team for years to come have made. But which specific player should fans monitor more intently?
Here are five of the Rockets' most must-watch prospects who will be suiting up for the team during their 2023 NBA Summer League stint in Vegas.
Jabari Smith Jr.
The Rockets had to “settle” for Jabari Smith Jr. as a consolation prize during the 2022 NBA Draft after the Orlando Magic, after much speculation, decided to take Paolo Banchero first overall. Smith projected to be more of a complementary piece, a two-way monster who, at 6'10, can stroke it from deep with the best of them. Thus, it's no surprise that Smith had his fair share of struggles during his rookie year.
For one, Smith was inefficient from the field. Among qualified players, he posted the fifth-worst true shooting percentage in the NBA, at 51.4 percent. And he didn't exactly make up for it with volume scoring or playmaking.
Even then, Jabari Smith Jr.'s potential as a game-changer is apparent. He is exceptionally mobile guarding the pick-and-roll, and his size also helps him protect the paint, which will be crucial especially in a pairing with Alperen Sengun.
But it's clear that his shot selection needs work. He lacked the dribbling burst to create separation for himself, and oftentimes he had to settle for difficult shots. Part of it is the Rockets' lack of playmaking, ranking dead last in the league in assists per game. Perhaps with the addition of Fred VanVleet, a more willing passer than everyone thinks he is, Smith could settle in nicely into more of a catch-and-shoot role.
But in Summer League, anything short of dominance from the 20-year old will be disappointing, especially for Rockets fans who expect him to take major strides in his second season.
Amen Thompson
Speaking of willing playmakers, the Rockets drafted Amen Thompson, a legitimate stat-sheet stuffer, with the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. Thompson utilizes his lightning-quick athleticism to breeze past defenders, and his court vision allows him to set his teammates up nicely for easy buckets.
With Fred VanVleet in town, not to mention Kevin Porter Jr., Thompson's path to full-time floor generalship could be tricky. Nonetheless, the 20-year old guard should make Summer League his playground, proving that he may warrant a bigger role than the Rockets could give him in his rookie year.
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Cam Whitmore
There were concerns about Cam Whitmore's game leading up to the 2023 NBA Draft. His assist rate is horrific, even for a score-first wing, so he may have a huge learning curve to undergo before he rounds out his game enough to become worth a top-five or even top-ten pick.
But with the 20th pick, Whitmore is a bonafide steal. Whitmore's athletic gifts are off the charts, and even if his feel for the game lags behind his insane physical tools at the moment, he still can do what many prospects struggle with when they arrive in the NBA: score the basketball.
Cam Whitmore gets buckets from all three levels, and in college, his tantalizing athleticism allowed him to get to the rim with ease. While his still-developing ballhandling chops will need work so he could reach his ceiling, playing alongside other more capable playmakers should help him ease into a role as more of a cutter or spot-up threat.
Whitmore now has a chip on his shoulder — falling that far in the draft could not have been an easy pill for him to swallow. It's now up to him to show what the teams that passed on him will be missing.
Tari Eason
Tari Eason is a legitimate example that Summer League performance may be a more legitimate indicator of future performance as one would think. Of course, there are cautionary tales (cough, Anthony Bennett, cough), but Eason, during last year's Summer League, impressed, and eventually, he landed a spot in the Rockets rotation and remained there.
Eason's development in Year 2 will hinge on the continued improvement of his jumpshot and ballhandling chops, as well as his perimeter defense. At the moment, Eason is more of an energy guy, a willing cutter and hustler. But with Kenyon Martin Jr. gone, the path to a 20+ minute role off the bench is there for him — and he needs only to make the most out of the opportunity in front of him.
