With a 5-1 record and a runner-up finish at the NBA’s 2023 summer league in Las Vegas, the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets had a successful 11-day run.
Rookie forward Cam Whitmore, drafted at No. 20 overall in the 2023 first round, was sensational. He averaged 19.3 points (44.7% FG), 5.2 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 31 minutes. The uber-athletic 19-year-old played in all six summer contests and was named MVP.
But Whitmore may have had internal competition for MVP had some of his big-name teammates stayed on the court.
In two games before being shut down, second-year forward Jabari Smith Jr. (drafted No. 3 in 2022) averaged 35.5 points (48.8% FG, 33.3% on 3-pointers), 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 32.2 minutes.
Fellow second-year forward Tari Eason (No. 17 pick in 2022) found plenty of success as well. Eason averaged 23 points (48.7% FG, 36.4% on 3-pointers), 9.5 rebounds and 4 assists in two games before being shut down at the same time as Smith.
Finally, rookie point guard Amen Thompson (No. 4 pick in 2023) finished with 16 points (46.2% FG, 1-of-1 on 3-pointers), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 steals in his lone summer appearance before leaving with a sprained left ankle.
Courtesy of the Rockets (for Whitmore, Smith, and Thompson) and the Hoopz YouTube channel (for Eason), here’s a look at key highlights for each prospect from 2023 summer-league play.