Roster lacking in star power
Under-the-radar summer team to clarify decisions
The sellout of the Las Vegas Summer League’s first two days will not be to see the stars of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers’ G League championship team.
The Rockets’ entry in Las Vegas does not offer headliners. It includes no players who were taken in the first round of an NBA draft. The closest thing to NBA veterans dotting the summer roster are Rawle Alkins and Rashad Vaughn.
The league will not even offer a look at one of the keys to the Vipers’ championship now under contract with the Rockets, Michael Frazier, who is out with a sore knee.
Yet, the Rockets, who open Saturday night against the Dallas Mavericks, will not just play an interesting and potentially unusually entertaining small, fast summer team; the action in Las Vegas could play into roster decisions to come.
The top priority might not fall into any of those categories. Barring additions to the roster, second-year center Isaiah Hartenstein would be the Rockets’ backup center. The MVP of the G League finals, Hartenstein has made significant strides since being taken in the second round of the 2017 draft, but the 7-footer will have to show he can defend on switches to get consistent playing time.
Last season’s other rookie, Gary Clark, showed great promise as a perimeter threat and productive hustle player, but the 6-8 forward was inconsistent, especially in the second half of the season. Danuel House Jr. moved past Clark in the rotation, but the Rockets signaled their con
fidence in Clark’s potential when they moved him from a two-way to a standard NBA contract.
“Isaiah’s continuing to grow,” said Rockets assistant coach Matt Brase, who is coaching the summer league team. “This is going to be his third summer with us. He keeps getting better. He’s in more of a leadership role with us this year.
“Gary had some good minutes with us last year. He didn’t get a ton of minutes, but he had solid minutes when he did play. As our roster changed, he was out of the lineup. This is a good summer to gain some confidence. At the summer league level, he can create a little more, attack the rim a little bit more than he does with us in Houston.”
The other player under contract with the Rockets playing in the summer league, guard Chris Chiozza, also has been a bright spot in workouts.
“Chiozza has been really, really good in our practices so far at being a floor general,” Brase said. “He understands our system. He understands our offense. He’s a guy that’s getting everyone involved.
“He’s looking to get assists firsts and points second. He’s been able to create a lot of ball movement
for us in the minicamp we’ve had.”
The players who finished the season on Rockets’ two-way contracts, Vince Edwards and Trevon Duval, also return to the summer league team. The Rockets did not make qualifying offers for another two-way contract to either, but could seek another look, not just in summer league but in camp. They invested a second-round pick on Edwards in 2018, but he likely will need to show progress
in workouts and any game time during his second summer league.
Though Brase said both played well in the summer league minicamp, it might be more difficult to get as much playing time as last summer.
The more intriguing guards on the Rockets’ summer league team could be the three players signed to Exhibit 10 deals this week. Players signed to an Exhibit 10 contract receive a $50,000 bonus if
they are waived and sign with the team’s G League’s affiliate and if they stay for at least 60 days.
Shamorie Ponds, an All-Big East player out of St. John’s, was considered a potential secondround pick, but he went undrafted after averaging 19.5 points in his three seasons. Chris Clemons, a 5-9 guard with a 40-inch vertical leap, has similar potential to steal the show after finishing his career at Campbell as the third-leading scorer in NCAA history.
“They can score the ball, they can attack, they can shoot,” Brase said. “It’s a team that’s geared to play very fast. It’s going to be a challenge to find minutes for these guys every game. It could be a thing where some guys get minutes in one game and a lot less the next game.”
Scouts, however, might be especially interested in watching William McDowell-White, a 6-5 Australian point guard who’s considered a particularly heady player.
“Will’s got a very good basketball IQ,” Brase said. “He sees the floor well. He gets others involved. He’s got a good-looking shot, going in a lot right now.
“He’s a guy that knows how to play.”
The summer Rockets likely also will feature forward Deng Adel and center Johnathan Williams. Deng showed promise with their summer league team last season and with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ G League affiliate. Williams showed potential in 24 games with the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
Neither is likely to fill Thomas & Mack or even the smaller Cox Pavilion next door. The Rockets will play considerably more underthe-radar, but with clear goals for Las Vegas.