Tag: 2022 Las Vegas Summer League

Rockets rookie Tari Eason encouraged by impressive summer performances

“You see the rich NBA lineage before you, and you want to put on a show and prove yourself,” says Rockets rookie Tari Eason, who did just that at summer league and at the Drew League.

HOUSTON — Fresh off a dazzling performance in front of a packed gymnasium at the Drew League, rookie forward Tari Eason came out Sunday to meet fans and sign autographs during the Streetball Tour featuring former NBA champion and Rockets icon Metta World Peace.

“It is super cool to engage with the community,” Eason said after the Adidas-sponsored event. “Any time you get to meet new people and engage with fans, it is super special. I enjoy the time I have with them.”

Eason has been very busy since he heard his name called in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft. The 6-foot-8 forward from LSU was named to the All-Summer League first team in Las Vegas after averaging 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game with the summer Rockets.

“Honestly, it is something I have been looking forward to my whole life,” Eason said of being selected to the NBA’s first team in Las Vegas. “You see summer league and you see all the guys who played before you. You see the rich NBA lineage before you, and you want to put on a show and prove yourself. So, I went out there and tried to do that.”

His work ethic aligns with what Rockets head coach Stephen Silas is trying to instill in his young core of players. Eason never misses an opportunity to improve his game. He was in the gym late at the University of Cincinnati before catching an early morning flight to Houston.

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“I am always working on my game,” said Eason, who was also awarded Drew League Player of the Week honors after recording 37 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks while leading his team to victory in Los Angeles. “I love to hoop, so anywhere a hoop is, I love to go play.”

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Why the summer Rockets may consider experimenting with more Tyty Washington usage

Second-year guards Daishen Nix and Josh Christopher have fared well. With that in mind, could the Rockets give more reps to TyTy Washington as summer league play winds down?

We are three games into the five-game Las Vegas summer league, and the young Houston Rockets are in the middle of what has to be described as a successful campaign. The team is 2-1, most recently with victories over the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

The 2022 first-round rookies have come exactly as advertised. Jabari Smith Jr. has flashed elite defensive potential, Tari Eason has been explosive and scrappy on both ends of the floor, and TyTy Washington looks like the balanced guard Houston hoped for when they drafted him.

In addition to the rookies, much of the group’s scoring and narratives have come from their second-year guards. Specifically, that’s 2021 first-round draft pick Josh Christopher and 2021 undrafted free agent Daishen Nix. Christopher has served as the team’s alpha engine on the offensive end, and Nix has started at point guard in all three contests.

With only two games left, it may be time to wonder if Houston should shut down their “veteran” guards in one or both of their last two games, starting Thursday versus Portland. It can be argued that they’ve seen everything needed from both Nix and Christopher, and teams often sit veterans late in summer league to guard against potential injuries.

Christopher has shown a diverse offensive skillset and aggression that could be pivotal on the team’s second unit during this upcoming season. Nix, after a slow start in the summer opener, has used his basketball IQ and patience at the point guard position to bring out the best from Smith while making the offensive a more cohesive unit. Both players scored 18 points, and Nix chipped in 6 assists during Monday’s victory.

As summer league winds down, this could be an interesting time to see what other guards have to offer in a low-stakes situation.

Washington, in particular, could be the benefactor of less infrastructure at the guard positions. He’s flashed excellent vision, along with a quickness that allows him to attack the paint easily when the court is properly spaced. The vacuum created from the loss of Nix or Christopher would not only give the coaching staff time to see these skills in a more featured role, but it could present an opportunity to Washington to further display what kind of talent he’s bringing to the NBA level.

Washington is already showing excellent chemistry with his fellow first rounders off the court. It feels only deserving that Washington sees every opportunity to flash that same talent in competition.

There are, of course, arguments against it.

Houston is finally winning some games here in the summer league, and there’s certainly a thought it may be best to leave the formula alone. Confidence is pivotal in young players, and the coaching staff may believe that the continued development of Nix and Christopher is a greater priority than anyone behind them on the depth chart.

After all, they’re both guaranteed to be factors in the Rockets upcoming regular season campaign. The depth chart at guard on the current roster, beyond Washington, is promised essentially nothing.

In addition to their own development, it’s hard to argue that Nix isn’t aiding in the development of Houston’s wing players. Smith, in particular, looked at his best on Tuesday when Nix was taking time to find him in the right spots on the court and allowing sets to develop that most benefited him. Elsewhere, Christopher’s volume on the offensive end is allowing players like Tari Eason better 3-point looks, along with more energy to spend on defense and second-chance offensive baskets.

Ultimately, this is a good problem to have for Houston. Their second-year players have shown development and are capitalizing against the inexperienced summer competition. Now, they just have to decide what’s best for the development of the group and the team at large.

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TyTy Washington enjoys Arizona reunion with Jalen Williams

Rockets guard TyTy Washington enjoyed Saturday’s reunion with fellow Arizona native Jalen Williams of the Thunder, and he really enjoyed shaking Williams on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

LAS VEGAS – As time was ticking off the clock in the first half of Saturday’s Houston Rockets summer league game versus Oklahoma City, Rockets guard TyTy Washington received a cross-court pass from teammate Daishen Nix right above the 3-point line.

With Josh Christopher open in the corner, the Thunder defender had to quickly decide who he would guard, and he followed his instincts and closed out on the shooter. From there, Washington pump-faked a shot, took one hard dribble to the right, and hoisted up a 24-foot 3-point shot over the outstretched arm of a second defender. Washington’s shot hit nothing but net, giving his team a 45-40 halftime lead.

What made the shot so special wasn’t that Washington made a good basketball play. It was the fact that he had pump-faked his old high school nemesis, Jalen Williams, who was selected at No. 12 overall in the 2022 NBA draft by Oklahoma City. The two Arizona natives grew up playing against each other and are good friends off the court.

“It felt really good,” Washington said about his buzzer-beater over Willams. “When he was running at me, I looked at him, and once I pump-faked him and moved to the side, I heard him screaming, ‘That’s off.’ So, after I made it, I looked at him like, come on Jalen, you know I got this.”

Washington, who scored 9 points in 22 minutes, was a standout high school player at Ceasar Chavez and Arizona Compass Prep. Meanwhile, Williams shined at Gilbert Perry. The two have known each other for a very long time, but they hadn’t played against each other in a while.

“Me and Jalen started playing against each other when we were like babies, like eight or nine years old,” Washington said postgame. “From middle school to early high school. This is my first time playing against him since then. It’s been a long time, but just seeing us out there on the biggest stage out there competing was really cool.”

Williams echoed the same friendly sentiments towards Washington in his post-game press conference.

“It is kind of rare, especially in Arizona, to play against someone you grew up with,” said Williams, who finished with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting (58.3%) in 28 minutes. He also had 5 rebounds and 2 steals. “I have known TyTy (Washington) since we were like six. So, it was a really cool experience and he played well, too, so that was dope.”

Arizona became a hot spot for NBA talent in this year’s draft. In all, six players from the state were drafted, including Washington, who was selected by Memphis at No. 29 and traded to the Rockets.

“I feel like Arizona is slept on, but this year we had six people who went to high school in Arizona get drafted,” said Washington, who put Houston in front for good with a floater in the final 30 seconds of Saturday’s win. “Arizona is not a bummy state. We got a few hoopers out there.”

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Rockets rookie Jabari Smith Jr. sets priorities for 2022 summer league

Jabari Smith Jr. on Houston’s summer league: “No matter if I am making shots or missing shots, I want to know that I was out there competing, out there listening, and out there learning.”

HOUSTON — Once media members were allowed into the Toyota Center practice facility on Tuesday, we walked into the gym area and found a very intense scrimmage taking place. It was between the Rockets’  2022 summer league roster, which had been split into two teams.

The team led by second-year guard Josh Christopher and rookie forward Jabari Smith Jr., who was picked at No. 3 overall in the 2022 NBA draft, was down by three points with 1:03 left on the clock.

Daishen Nix stood on the baseline looking for a teammate to throw the ball to, but they were all covered except for Smith, who made himself available by using his tall frame and athletic ability to separate himself from his opponent. Nix threw the ball over the defender into the waiting hands of Smith beyond the 3-point arc, who immediately jab-stepped to the right and exploded left towards the basket.

As he blew by the defender and headed towards the lane, he had one more obstacle to clear when fellow rookie TyTy Washington slid over to slow down Smith’s momentum while preparing to take a charge.

The average 6-foot-10 player probably would have run right over 6-foot-3 Washington, but Smith is not an ordinary power forward. As he took one step into the lane, Smith recognized what Washington was about to do and used his exquisite body control to glide right past his summer league teammate to score the basket while also drawing the foul.

He completed the 3-point play by hitting a free throw to tie the game.

If that play indicates what the Rockets can expect this season and beyond from Smith, then the future is very bright for them.

The former Auburn player will put his skills on display for all NBA fans to see in the first two summer league games. His first two opponents are the No. 1 overall draft pick in Orlando’s Paolo Banchero (on Thursday), followed by No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren of Oklahoma City on Saturday.

“I’m looking forward to playing everybody,” Smith said. “It doesn’t matter what team. I’m just excited to play with my new team and new organization and just get back out there competing. I mean, that’s what it’s all about. I want to feel like I played hard all week.”

Smith continued:

No matter how long I am there, no matter if I am making shots or missing shots. I want to know that I was out there competing, out there listening, and out there learning. At the end of the day, all of this is new to me, so I am not going to put too much pressure on myself going out here (Las Vegas). But I am going with a chip on my shoulder, and trying to win.

One person tasked with helping Smith and his fellow rookies get better during their time in Las Vegas is Rockets assistant coach Rick Higgins, who is coaching his first summer league team (schedule).

“We have a really, really good group,” Higgins said. “I can’t wait to see most of our new guys mixed with the guys we already have because they have great energy level and excitement about playing basketball.”

After only three summer league practices, Higgins stressed that Smith is not ready to compete in an NBA game just yet, as he is still learning the intricacies and nuisances of being in the league.

“I’m going say this isn’t quite him in the NBA,” said Higgins. “I mean, he’s got some other NBA players in the gym with him, but this is a summer league. And we know that and we’re here to get better and grow. I would hold on saying that is his getting his feet wet in the NBA, yet.”

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