Category: Player News

PHOTOS: Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. join USA Basketball training camp

As part of the Select Team, Rockets prospects Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. joined this week’s USA Basketball training camp for the Olympics.

Third-year Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. and second-year guard Amen Thompson are on the 2024 Select Team for USA Basketball. As part of their duties, Smith (No. 39) and Thompson (No. 29) practiced in Las Vegas versus the U.S. national team as part of preparations for the Paris Olympics, which begin in late July.

Beyond Thompson and Smith, other members of the 2024 USA Select Team include Payton Pritchard, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jalen Duren, Jalen Suggs, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Brandin Podziemski, Brandon Miller, Trey Murphy, Keegan Murray, Micah Potter, Nigel Hayes-Davis, Langston Galloway, and collegiate prospect Cooper Flagg.

“As a former [Select Team] member, I know how important and fun this opportunity is,” said Grant Hill, formerly an NBA star and currently managing director of USA Basketball. “There is a tremendous amount of talent on this Select squad with the significant job of helping the 2024 national team as they begin their journey to the Olympics. Each of these athletes will play a role in our preparation as we also develop the national team pipeline for the future.”

With that in mind, here’s a pictorial look at some of Thompson and Smith’s 2024 Select Team activities. All practices and scrimmages took place at UNLV’s Mendenhall Center in Las Vegas.

March memories: Rockets finish with NBA’s best monthly record

The Rockets finished March with the NBA’s best monthly record among all teams, and it’s their first time doing so since the 2017-18 season (65 wins).

The Houston Rockets entered Sunday, March 31, with 11 consecutive victories and a 13-1 record in March, which leads the NBA.

Regardless of Sunday’s outcome at home versus Dallas, the Rockets (38-35) will finish with the league’s best monthly record. It’s their first time with that distinction since Houston’s incredible 2017-18 season, which resulted in the best record (65-17) in team history.

Thanks to that success, Houston is back in the mix for a postseason spot in the Western Conference. They were six games back when the winning streak originally started on March 8, and now they are within a game and will be multiple games above .500 entering April.

Even after losing star center Alperen Sengun to a potentially season-ending ankle injury on March 10, the Rockets haven’t skipped a beat, thanks in large part to a sustained breakout by Jalen Green.

In still images, here’s a look back at some of the defining shots from a most memorable March 2024 for the Houston Rockets.

Rockets lose rookie guard Amen Thompson to Grade 2 right ankle sprain

#Rockets rookie Amen Thompson left Wednesday’s game with a Grade 2 right ankle sprain, and he left Toyota Center on crutches, @BigSargeSportz reports.

Houston Rockets rookie guard Amen Thompson sprained his right ankle during a third-quarter transition sequence in Wednesday’s game (box score) versus the Charlotte Hornets at Toyota Center. The team ruled him out for the remainder of the game shortly thereafter.

Thompson, drafted at No. 4 in the 2023 first round, initially pounded the floor in pain and appeared reluctant to put any weight on his injured ankle. However, he eventually walked to the locker room without assistance and with only a moderate limp.

Thompson suffered a Grade 2 left ankle sprain in July during the NBA’s 2023 summer league. That injury had an estimated two-to-four week recovery timetable. Wednesday’s injury was to Thompson’s right ankle, so it’s not a recurrence of the same issue.

In postgame comments, head coach Ime Udoka said this was also a Grade 2 ankle sprain, which could suggest a similar return timetable. Thompson left on crutches, per Brian Barefield of Rockets Wire.

Thompson is Houston’s backup point guard behind Fred VanVleet — though his elite athleticism has already made him a trusted defender to Udoka at multiple positions. Once Thompson left Wednesday, veteran guard Aaron Holiday absorbed the available minutes.

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Houston Rockets finalize roster for NBA’s 2023-24 regular season

With Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Darius Days, and Trevor Hudgins among the final cuts, here’s our look at the official #Rockets roster for the NBA’s 2023-24 season.

As with all NBA teams, the Houston Rockets had to trim their roster by Monday’s deadline for the 2023-24 regular season. Teams can carry up to 21 players during the offseason, training camp and preseason, but that number falls to a maximum of 15 standard contracts and three two-way deals once the season begins.

The Rockets (training camp roster) began that process last week by waiving young prospects Matthew Mayer and Nate Hinton. Those players could soon be candidates for roles with Houston’s NBA G League affiliate club, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers.

On Monday, Houston made a series of other moves:

Hinton and Samuels were part of Houston’s extremely successful team (5-1, runner-up finish) in the NBA’s 2023 summer league.

It’s important to remember that because the Rockets finished with the league’s second-worst record (22-60) last season, Houston is very high on the waiver claim order prior to the 2023-24 season. Thus, general manager Rafael Stone will have high priority if the Rockets like someone who was released as part of another team’s cuts. That could potentially prompt another move later in the week.

For now, here’s where Houston’s roster stands to start the 2023-24 regular season, which opens on Oct. 25 in Orlando. Career statistics and biography information are available at rockets.com.

The 2023-24 Rockets are led by new head coach Ime Udoka.

Rockets forward Tari Eason to miss weeks with stress reaction in leg

The #Rockets said Sunday that second-year forward Tari Eason will miss two-to-three weeks of the regular season with a stress reaction in his lower left leg.

Second-year forward Tari Eason missed the final three games of Houston’s 2023-24 preseason with what the Rockets called a lower left leg contusion. Now, it appears the absence will extend well into the regular season, which starts Wednesday night in Orlando.

At Sunday’s practice, head coach Ime Udoka said recent testing indicated a more serious injury, and Eason is now expected to miss the first two-to-three weeks of the regular season.

Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:

Eason missed the final three games of the preseason with what the Rockets called a contusion. Tests after Friday’s game indicated the more serious injury, often requiring more than the two-to-three-week time frame the Rockets estimated for Eason to return.

Eason, drafted No. 17 in the 2022 first round, was one of 10 NBA players to play all 82 games in last year’s regular season. A talented and versatile defender, Eason averaged 9.3 points (44.8% FG, 34.3% on 3-pointers), 6.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 21.5 minutes.

With Eason sidelined, veteran forwards Jae’Sean Tate and Jeff Green appear in line to get larger roles off Houston’s bench.

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Report: Despite injury, Victor Oladipo’s roster spot appears secure in Houston

Victor Oladipo’s knee injury will delay his 2023-24 availability for some time, but his #Rockets roster spot remains secure, the Houston Chronicle reports.

As is the case for all NBA teams, the Houston Rockets need to trim their roster by Tuesday’s deadline for the 2023-24 regular season. Teams can carry up to 21 players during the offseason, training camp and preseason, but that number falls to a maximum of 15 standard contracts and three two-way deals once the season begins.

The Rockets (training camp roster) have already begun that process, waiving Matthew Mayer and Nate Hinton in recent days. Both could soon become candidates for roles with Houston’s NBA G League affiliate club, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers.

Even so, more cuts will need to be made by Tuesday. Despite his lack of availability, one player who will not be cut is veteran guard Victor Oladipo, who was recently acquired in the Kevin Porter Jr. trade. Oladipo tore the patellar tendon in his left knee in April.

Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:

Though Oladipo is out while trying to come back from a torn left patella tendon, the Rockets are expected to keep him on the roster either as a late-season addition or as a trade piece.

Oladipo, 31, can begin intensifying his workouts once he passes the six-month mark since the injury, which occurs this week. Known best for his defense, Oladipo averaged 10.7 points, 3.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 26.3 minutes per game with Miami last season.

For the Rockets, Oladipo’s value appears to be in large part due to his expiring $9.5-million salary. To general manager Rafael Stone, that could become very useful near the 2023-24 trade deadline in February, should Houston need to match salaries on a larger trade.

With Oladipo’s spot secure, the final roster decisions seem to involve picking three from among Jermaine Samuels Jr., Darius Days, Trevor Hudgins and Nate Williams for the two-way spots, and choosing between veteran big man Boban Marjanovic and young prospect Jeremiah Robinson-Earl for the final spot among standard contracts.

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Jalen Green on his Rockets goals: ‘If you win, everything will take care of itself’

“I do feel like [the All-Star jump] is going to happen,” #Rockets guard Jalen Green tells Shams Charania. “If you win, everything will take care of itself.”

In a new interview with Shams Charania, NBA insider for Stadium and The Athletic, Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green outlined a few priorities entering his third professional season.

“I do feel like (the All-Star jump) is going to happen,” Green told Charania. “If you win, everything will take care of itself.”

Averaging 22.1 points per game, Green was the top scorer on the 2022-23 Rockets, and he also led all second-year players from the 2021 draft class. But Green’s efficiency was middling, and Houston’s 22-60 record was tied for the second-worst mark in the league.

As such, that’s a clear point of emphasis for Green and the Rockets under new head coach Ime Udoka. It also helps he will have new veteran teammates such as Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks to potentially help carry the load while offering useful guidance.

Here’s a look at some of the key highlights and takeaways from Charania’s exclusive interview, which premiered Thursday morning.

Takeaways: Jabari Smith Jr. leads Rockets in short-handed loss to Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs

Jabari Smith Jr. led the short-handed #Rockets with 20 points (50% FG) in 24 minutes, but Houston still suffered its first preseason loss on Wednesday in San Antonio.

In Monday’s exhibition loss to the Rockets, the Spurs gave top rookie Victor Wembanyama and talented young guard Devin Vassell a night off for planned maintenance.

In Wednesday’s rematch in the same building, both returned and made a clear impact in San Antonio’s 117-103 victory (box score) over a short-handed Houston side.

Vassell was electric with a game-high 25 points in only 25 minutes, shooting 8-of-14 from the field (57.1%) and 5-of-10 on 3-pointers (50%).

Wembanyama added 15 points and 6 rebounds in 21 minutes, although Jabari Smith Jr. offered capable defense to help limit the French phenom to 3-of-10 shooting (30%).

Though Wembanyama and Vassell returned for the Spurs, Jalen Green (toenail) and Tari Eason (left lower leg contusion) remained out for the Rockets. Houston veterans Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and Jeff Green sat out to rest. Those absences, coupled with a nearly full-strength San Antonio squad, led to Houston’s first loss under Ime Udoka, whose team is 3-1 in the 2023-24 preseason. The Spurs are 2-2.

On offense, Smith led the way with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting (50%) and 2-of-6 on 3-pointers (33.6%). The second-year forward grabbed 5 rebounds and hit 4-of-4 free throws over 24 minutes.

Rookie wing Cam Whitmore had 17 points, 6 rebounds and a game-high 6 steals in 30 minutes for the Rockets, though he shot just 4-of-15 overall (26.7%) and 1-of-7 on 3-pointers (14.3%). Veteran forward Jae’Sean Tate added 13 points and 4 rebounds in 21 minutes on 4-of-8 shooting (50%) and 1-of-2 from 3-point range (50.0%).

Nate Williams had 19 points and 8 rebounds off the Houston bench in 23 minutes, shooting 8-of-15 (53.3%) overall.

Here are highlights and interviews from Wednesday, along with reaction by media members and fans. Houston will conclude its exhibition slate on Friday night with a home game versus Miami.

Rockets wing Dillon Brooks endorses NBA’s new in-season tournament

“It stresses more that we got to put more effort into those [games], so we can find a way to be on the top of our pool,” Dillon Brooks says of the NBA’s new in-season tournament. #Rockets

During recent weeks, Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks enjoyed a strong run to help Canada to a third-place finish in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Each game was of paramount importance, which seemed to bring out the best in Brooks.

Entering the 2023-24 season, Brooks believes the NBA’s new in-season tournament can provide a similar dynamic — especially for a young and somewhat rebuilding team such as the Rockets.

Speaking from the World Cup, here’s what Brooks told Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports about the league’s latest competition:

It just makes it to where anytime you can step on that floor, you can win that basketball game. It makes it more like this. More stress on the game. More priority on it. Overall it’s helping our game, and you get a little money out of it. …

It just stresses those games against Denver, the Clippers, all those games that we have in the in-season tournament. It stresses more that we gotta put more effort into those, so we can find a way to be on the top of our pool.

“There will be natural incentive for less-experienced teams to chase in-season glory, in addition to building momentum for a rebuild’s first playoff push,” Fischer writes.

Both of those descriptions apply to Houston, which kicks off group-stage play for the in-season tournament on Friday, Nov. 10, at home versus New Orleans.

Each player on the tournament’s winner earns a $500,000 prize.

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NBA scout: Rockets rookie Amen Thompson could already be NBA’s best athlete

“You put him on an NBA floor today, and he might be the best athlete,“ an NBA scout says of Amen Thompson. “Great passing and playing in transition. He rebounds, he defends.“ #Rockets

At just 20 years old and coming from a relatively unproven Overtime Elite league, Amen Thompson’s outlook is unclear when it comes to his rookie production for the 2023-24 Houston Rockets.

But for the No. 4 pick from the 2023 draft’s first round, one aspect not in question is his athleticism. That should serve Thompson well as Houston’s young point guard looks to attack the paint on offense and potentially kick the ball to open perimeter shooters, and it could also prove beneficial on defense.

In a newly published NBA survey, ESPN polled 15 scouts, coaches and executives from across the NBA regarding hot-button topics.

Thompson, who initially slides in as Houston’s backup behind Fred VanVleet, picked up three of 15 votes on the question of which rookie — excluding Victor Wembanyama — will be the best player in five years. (Portland’s Scoot Henderson led the way with 11 votes.)

“You put (Amen Thompson) on an NBA floor today, and he might be the best athlete,” an Eastern Conference scout told ESPN. “Great passing and playing in transition. He rebounds, he defends.”

ESPN’s full survey can be read here. As for Thompson and the Rockets, the endorsement certainly can’t hurt as Houston looks to fill a presumed backcourt absence after Kevin Porter Jr.’s recent arrest.

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