Tag: Jermaine Samuels Jr.

NBA G League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers finalize 2023-24 training camp roster

The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers, the NBA G League Affiliate of the Houston Rockets, have finalized their 2023-24 training camp roster.

The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers, the NBA G League Affiliate of the Houston Rockets, finalized their 2023-24 training camp roster. RGV’s full schedule, which begins Nov. 10, is available here.

According to the team, the Vipers’ training camp roster includes returning players from the 2022-23 season: Trhae Mitchell (fourth season), Ray Spalding (fourth season), Shawn Occeus (fourth season), Josh Reaves (third season), Darius Days (second season), Jalen Lecque (second season) and Jarrett Culver (second season).

Also joining the Vipers’ training camp roster is Latvia native and forward Ricards Vanags, who was selected as the No. 10 pick during the G League’s 2023-24 international draft.

During the 2023 NBA G League draft, the Vipers selected forward Kyree Walker with the No. 62 pick. After the draft, the Vipers acquired Keyshawn Bryant from the Windy City Bulls.

RGV’s training camp roster stands at 18 and can be found below. It includes three players — Nate Hinton, Jermaine Samuels Jr. and Nate Williams — on two-way contracts with the Rockets.

Name Pos. HT WT School Status
Keyshawn Bryant F 6-6 190 South Florida Trade
Jarrett Culver G 6-6 195 Texas Tech Returning
Darius Days F 6-8 240 LSU Affiliate
Nate Hinton F 6-5 210 University of Houston Two-way
Bo Hodges  G 6-5 210 Butler Tryout
John Knight III  G 6-3 205 Southern Utah Tryout
Jalen Lecque G 6-4 185 — Returning
Matthew Mayer F 6-9 225 University of Illinois Affiliate
Trhae Mitchell F 6-6 195 South Alabama Returning
Joshua Obiesie F 6-6 196 — Affiliate
Shawn Occeus  F 6-4 210 Northeastern Returning
Josh Reaves G 6-5 214 Penn State Returning
Alex Reese C 6-9 245 Alabama Tryout
Jermaine Samuels F 6-7 230 Villanova Two-way
Ray Spalding F 6-10 215 Louisville Returning
Ricards Vanags F 6-8 182 — International Draft
Kyree Walker  F 6-7 215 — Draft
Jeenathan “Nate” Williams Jr. G 6-5 205 University at Buffalo Two-way

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Highlights: Get to know five newly signed Houston Rockets for 2023-24 season

The #Rockets made their contract agreements official with Jeenathan Williams, Jermaine Samuels Jr., Matthew Mayer, Nate Hinton, and Joshua Obiesie. Here’s a look at each player’s background.

On Thursday, the Houston Rockets confirmed a handful of 2023 free agency deals reached earlier in the week with guard/forward Nate Hinton, forward Matthew Mayer, guard Joshua Obiesie, forward Jermaine Samuels Jr., and guard/forward Nate Williams.

Hinton, Mayer and Samuels played for the Rockets in the NBA’s 2023 summer league in Las Vegas and helped the team reach the championship game. Houston finished 5-1.

Although NBA rosters are limited to 15 players on standard contracts (and up to three two-way deals) during each regular season, teams can carry up to 21 players in the offseason.

That expanded roster window continues through training camp and the preseason, which allows teams to evaluate various depth options before finalizing their regular-season roster. Teams may also consider many of these players for roles with their G League affiliate (in Houston’s case, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers).

From the team’s announcement, here are further details on the newly signed players along with highlights.

Rockets sign summer-league standout Jermaine Samuels Jr. to two-way deal

The #Rockets are reportedly giving one of their three two-way contracts for the 2023-24 season to summer-league standout Jermaine Samuels Jr., a 6-foot-7 forward from Villanova.

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The Rockets are signing Jermaine Samuels Jr. to one of their three two-way contracts for the 2023-24 season. The signing was first reported by Shams Charania and Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

Samuels joins fellow summer-league standouts Darius Days and Trevor Hudgins as Houston’s current allotment of two-way players. A two-way contract effectively allows a player to shuttle back and forth, as needed, between the parent NBA club and that team’s G League affiliate (for Houston, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers).

A 6-foot-7 forward from Villanova, Samuels went undrafted in 2022 before playing in the G League last season. The 24-year-old caught on with the Rockets before the NBA’s 2023 summer league, during which he averaged 11.3 points (44.2% FG, and 35.3% on 3-pointers), 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 27.3 minutes per game.

With Samuels playing as a forward and, at times, as an undersized center, Houston went 5-1 in Las Vegas en route to a runner-up finish.

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Rockets to sign former Villanova forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. to two-way contract

Samuels emerged as a standout with the Rockets in summer league, averaging 11.3 points, five rebounds and 3.3 assists in six games.

Former Villanova forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. will reportedly sign a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Samuels went undrafted last year and spent the season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the G League. He averaged 15.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.4 steals and one block on 66.7% shooting from the field in 50 games.

The 6-foot-7 Samuels joined the Rockets this year for the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. He emerged as a standout with the team, averaging 11.3 points, five rebounds and 3.3 assists on 35.3% shooting from 3-point range in six games.

Samuels will split his time between Houston and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League. He is eligible to spend no more than 50 games in the NBA and will earn a flat salary equal to 50% of the minimum salary applicable to a player with zero years of service.

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Updated 2023-2024 Houston Rockets roster, salaries after free agency

After an extremely busy 2023 free agency, here’s an updated look at the #Rockets roster and salaries entering the 2023-24 NBA season.

When we last saw the Houston Rockets play a regular-season game in April, they were one of the NBA’s youngest teams and directed by a relatively unproven head coach in Stephen Silas.

The situation has changed significantly in the months since. Ime Udoka replaced Silas as head coach and brought in his own staff of assistants, while general manager Rafael Stone spent more than $60 million in 2023 free agency to sign veteran players Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green and Jock Landale.

Those veterans will surround Houston’s young core of Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Kevin Porter Jr., Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and newly drafted 2023 rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore.

As of early August, here’s an updated look at where things stand with the Rockets’ coaching staff and roster of players entering the 2023-24 NBA season. Many of the team’s newcomers will not have their jersey numbers revealed until closer to training camp, which is scheduled to start in early October.

Height and weight information is from NBA.com, while salary details are from HoopsHype figures. Ages are as of Aug. 1, 2023.

Reaction: Cam Whitmore lifts Rockets past Jazz and into NBA’s 2023 summer-league title game

Cam Whitmore continued his electric run at the NBA’s 2023 summer league with 25 points on efficient shooting, and it led the #Rockets to Monday’s championship game.

After rookie Amen Thompson (left ankle sprain) and second-year forwards Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason (rest) were ruled out for the rest of the NBA’s 2023 summer league, many analysts assumed the remainder of the Houston Rockets wouldn’t be as formidable.

That logic may have underestimated Houston’s supporting cast, though. Led by rookie Cam Whitmore and two-way players Darius Days and Trevor Hudgins, the summer Rockets are now 5-0 and in Monday’s championship game courtesy of Sunday’s 115-101 win (box score) over Utah (4-1) in the summer-league semifinals.

Whitmore had 25 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocked shots in Sunday’s game on 9-of-17 shooting (52.9%), including 4-of-11 on 3-pointers (36.4%). That was enough to outpace a Utah team led by Micah Potter, who had 20 points and 12 rebounds but on just 8-of-22 shooting (36.4%) and 4-of-17 on 3-pointers (23.5%).

Other Houston players to score in double figures included:

  • Nate Hinton: 27 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals; 9-of-16 shooting (56.3%), 4-of-9 on 3-pointers (44.4%)
  • Jermaine Samuels Jr.: 13 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists; 5-of-14 shooting (35.7%), 1-of-5 on 3-pointers (20.0%)
  • Trevor Hudgins: 16 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds; 6-of-13 shooting (46.2%), 4-of-9 on 3-pointers (44.4%)
  • Fletcher Magee: 21 points, 5 rebounds; 4-of-7 shooting (57.1%), 3-of-4 on 3-pointers (75.0%), 10-of-10 on free throws

Read on for highlights, postgame interviews with players and coaches, and reaction by fans and media members to Sunday’s game. In Monday’s final, the Rockets will meet the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are also a perfect 5-0 in summer-league play to date.