Tag: Tyty Washington

Rockets at Warriors: Friday’s lineups, injury reports, broadcast and stream info

As injuries linger for Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green, #Rockets rookie TyTy Washington could be in line to get his first career start on Friday night in San Francisco.

As both teams resume play after the 2023 All-Star break, the young and struggling Houston Rockets visit the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors on Friday night in San Francisco.

The Rockets enter with seven straight losses. However, in the third season of a three-year franchise rebuilding plan, their lowly record isn’t all that shocking. Golden State, on the other hand, is probably more disappointed with its record relative to expectations — although injuries to stars like Steph Curry have certainly played a role.

So, can the defending champions get back on track as they enter the closing stretch of the 2022-23 regular season? The Warriors are stuck in the No. 9 spot in the Western Conference standings, meaning they’re closer to missing the play-in tournament altogether than they are a firm berth (top six) in the 2023 playoffs.

Even without Curry, Friday is a great opportunity for Golden State to get right, since the Rockets will be missing Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green. With both starting guards out, rookie TyTy Washington could be next in line to receive the first start of his NBA career.

Rockets’ Stephen Silas to TyTy Washington Jr.: ‘Your time is coming’

With the Rockets dealing with some injuries in the backcourt, Washington could see a larger role moving forward.

With the Houston Rockets dealing with injuries in the backcourt, rookie TyTy Washington Jr. and second-year guard Josh Christopher could see larger roles.

Kevin Porter Jr. has missed the last 17 games due to a toe injury, and Jalen Green suffered a groin strain in the Rockets’ final game prior to the All-Star break on Feb. 15. Porter still has pain in his toe, and Green is dealing with tightness.

They are doubtful to play on Friday versus Golden State.

Rockets coach Stephen Silas revealed one of the two could play on Sunday against Portland, but added the team is taking the injuries day by day. The two games could serve as a chance for Washington and Christopher to log extended minutes.

“It is going to be a great opportunity,” said Silas, via Brian Barefield of Rockets Wire. “We need the ball handling and the scoring for sure. My response to them is always: ‘Stay ready; your time is coming.'”

Washington has played sparingly this season, averaging 4.1 points, 1.4 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 23 appearances. However, he logged at least 19 minutes in each of the Rockets’ last three games before the break and averaged six points and three assists.

Christopher is averaging 4.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in 40 games.

[mm-video type=video id=01gsqnt3166sz7vet7ct playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gsqnt3166sz7vet7ct/01gsqnt3166sz7vet7ct-0a0cf5d030fb4fbcb80f1dbaa04cbdbd.jpg]

The Rockets have the worst record in the NBA and have lost seven straight games entering play on Friday. The team will likely use its last 24 games of the season to take a closer look at some seldom-used players, such as Washington.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=650261252]

TyTy Washington, Josh Christopher have opportunity with short-handed Rockets

Stephen Silas on Josh Christopher and TyTy Washington: “We need the ball handling and scoring, for sure. My response to them is always, ‘Stay ready; your time is coming.’” #Rockets

HOUSTON — The Rockets returned to the practice court Wednesday as they prepare for the NBA season’s final six weeks (24 games).

Notably absent was the backcourt duo of Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green, who remain sidelined by left leg injuries and are expected to miss Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors.

Porter has been sidelined for 17 games as he continues to heal from a toe injury, and Green went down with a strained groin in the last game before the All-Star break against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With the tandem out, more playmaking responsibility will fall on players such as rookie point guard TyTy Washington and second-year shooting guard Josh Christopher.

“It is going to be a great opportunity,” Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said about the increased minutes for Washington and Christopher. “We need the ball handling and the scoring for sure. My response to them is always, ‘Stay ready; your time is coming.’”

Houston will also rely heavily on forward/guard Jae’Sean Tate, who has taken over the point guard duties as a starter with Porter out and Eric Gordon being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.

“It has been a little bit of an adjustment,” Tate said when asked about the increased responsibility. “My entire career, I have been like a Swiss Army knife. Put me wherever is productive for the team. I have been learning a lot along the way with my coaches and trainers. So, it is just making me into a well-rounded basketball player.”

The Rockets may get one of their backcourt starters back before the team plays the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, but Silas did not specifically say which one it would be.

[lawrence-related id=110968,110934]

[mm-video type=video id=01gsqnt3166sz7vet7ct playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gsqnt3166sz7vet7ct/01gsqnt3166sz7vet7ct-0a0cf5d030fb4fbcb80f1dbaa04cbdbd.jpg]

Player grades: 2022-23 Houston Rockets at the All-Star break

At a team level, the 2022-23 #Rockets season is one to forget. However, there are some individual bright spots, starting with Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason, and KJ Martin.

At the NBA’s All-Star break for its 2022-23 season, the numbers aren’t pretty for the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets.

Their 13-45 record is the worst in the NBA, as is Houston’s offensive rating (110.0). Their defensive rating (118.4) ranks 28th among the league’s 30 teams, and their net rating (-8.4) is No. 29.

Head coach Stephen Silas is in the final fully guaranteed season of his current contract, and questions have been raised whether he will be offered a second deal. Many fans have raised questions regarding general manager Rafael Stone as well.

Yet, it’s not as if the franchise is hopeless. For starters, they will have another high pick in what should be a strong 2023 NBA draft class, and they’re positioned to have the most salary cap space this offseason (up to $60 million, approximately) of any NBA team. That could help them attract marquee veterans, such as James Harden.

In addition, while the sum of the parts clearly hasn’t amounted to much this season — particularly given a void of veterans — there are some individual bright spots among the young prospects.

Among players averaging at least 10 minutes per game, here’s our individual grades. These grades are relative to expectations entering the season, i.e. a high grade for a bench player doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s outplayed a high-profile starter with a worse grade. It’s all relative to where each player began the 2022-23 campaign.

This list is sorted by total minutes, from most to least.

Player salaries, payroll for Houston Rockets after 2023 trade deadline

Including moves at February’s trade deadline, here’s a look at Houston’s active salaries and dead money entering a critical 2023 offseason. #Rockets

For the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets, their roster to finish the 2022-23 season is all about flexibility.

Much of the roster is comprised of highly touted draft prospects from recent years such as Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun. Because these players are on their initial NBA contracts, their annual salaries are relatively inexpensive by league standards.

Houston does have some veterans, but maintaining its salary cap space of roughly $60 million for a critical 2023 offseason was a priority in selecting who those veterans are.

For example, of the three veterans acquired and initially retained at the 2023 trade deadline — Danny Green, Justin Holiday and Frank Kaminsky — none has any guaranteed money owed beyond this season. Thus, for general manager Rafael Stone, their acquisition preserved the balance sheet as it’s been carefully set up over the years.

Here is Houston’s roster as the league year winds down. This list is sorted in ascending order from least to most, financially, during the 2022-23 season, according to HoopsHype salary data. Any potential earnings for each Rockets player as part of his current contract are noted beneath each photo.

2022-2023 Houston Rockets roster after the trade deadline

Here’s where the #Rockets stand with their roster, coaching staff, and basketball operations department as the 2022-23 season winds down and a critical 2023 offseason approaches.

After the February 2023 trade deadline, the Houston Rockets remain one of the NBA’s youngest teams. Yet, they have something of a veteran presence after adding Danny Green, Justin Holiday and Frank Kaminsky as part of their complicated web of transactions.

While none has a contract beyond the 2022-23 season, the Rockets will acquire Bird rights for each. Thus, general manager Rafael Stone will have options moving forward.

By and large, the rebuilding Rockets have prioritized youth and salary flexibility in building their current group.

That’s why it’s a combination of highly touted prospects Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. along with veterans Danny Green, Holiday and Kaminsky expiring salaries. Sengun and Smith are on their initial NBA contracts, which inherently makes them cheaper for the time being.

That formula is likely to change this offseason, when Stone and the Rockets have approximately $60 million in salary cap space to build a roster around those talented young prospects. They will need to explore contract extensions and raises for many of their young players in the coming years. For now, they’re making the best of another challenging season by staying flexible with the roster.

Here’s a look at where the Houston roster and basketball operations staff currently stands, along with jersey numbers and other relevant information for each player. All ages are as of Feb. 14, 2023.

In blowout loss to Thunder, TyTy Washington scores career-high 20 points

The #Rockets were uncompetitive from the outset at Oklahoma City, but rookie TyTy Washington scored a career-high 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting (56.3%).

The Rockets were crushed from the outset on Saturday in Oklahoma City, though rookie guard TyTy Washington scored a career-high 20 points in 25 minutes on 9-of-16 shooting (56.3%). Led by a game-high 42 points from Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, it was just the second win for the Thunder (25-27) in their last seven games versus Houston.

After losing at home Friday to Toronto, it was the second night of a back-to-back for the short-handed Rockets (13-40), who had Eric Gordon and Jae’Sean Tate sitting out for planned maintenance in a staggering 153-121 final (box score). Starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. (left foot contusion) missed his 12th straight game, as well.

Second-year guard Jalen Green returned from his three-game absence with a right calf contusion but struggled, scoring 12 points on just 4-of-15 shooting (26.7%) and 2-of-8 on 3-pointers (25.0%). Like most of the Rockets, as evidenced by the highest point total in the history of Oklahoma City basketball, he struggled defensively.

Rookie forward Tari Eason added 18 points and 8 rebounds in 25 minutes off the Houston bench on 5-of-11 shooting (45.5%), while Josh Christopher continued his strong run of play with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting (63.6%) and 2-of-2 on 3-pointers over his 28 minutes.

Scroll on for highlights, analysis, and postgame interview reaction. Next up for Houston is a pair of home games versus Sacramento on Monday and Wednesday, with both tipoffs at 7 p.m. Central.

Rockets’ TyTy Washington Jr. erupts for 53 points in G League

Washington produced the first 50-point game of the season in the G League with the Vipers.

Houston Rockets rookie TyTy Washington Jr. on Friday erupted for the first 50-point game of the G League season while on assignment with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Washington produced a career-high 53 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals in a 134-113 loss on the road to the Stockton Kings. He went 15-of-33 from the field, including 6-of-17 from 3-point range, in 40 minutes of work.

The 29th pick became one of 24 players to score at least 50 points in a game in the G League and the first since Chris Clemons had 52 points on March 17, 2022. He had 34 points in the second half, and accounted for 22 of the Vipers’ 26 points in the fourth quarter.

Washington is averaging 23.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals on 47.7% shooting from the field in 13 games this season with the Vipers. He has scored in double figures in every game and has produced at least 20 points nine times.

With playing time at a minimum in Houston, the team opted to send Washington to the G League to get consistent playing time. The latest effort by Washington offered a glimpse of what he can bring to the NBA, and it could go a long way in helping him secure a place in the rotation.

[lawrence-related id=83142,76628,80601]

[mm-video type=video id=01gp1j3yb4sk1rrvrhf1 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gp1j3yb4sk1rrvrhf1/01gp1j3yb4sk1rrvrhf1-b5e1a61055dcf2ae0cf8d17f9dab618b.jpg]

[listicle id=83676]

Rockets recall TyTy Washington after scoring 53 points in NBA G League

After going for 53 points (45.5% FG) and 10 rebounds with the @RGVVipers in Friday’s G League game, the #Rockets recalled rookie guard TyTy Washington to their NBA roster.

In his rookie season, University of Kentucky product TyTy Washington would undoubtedly love to be playing for the Houston Rockets. But with his team mostly healthy, the No. 29 draft pick from the 2022 first round has made the most of an NBA G League stint.

In Friday’s game (box score) with the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate, Washington put up an astonishing 53 points and 10 rebounds on 15-of-33 shooting (45.5%), 6-of-17 on 3-pointers (35.3%), and 11-of-12 from the free-throw line (91.7%).

It’s hardly an isolated game for the 6-foot-3 guard, who has averaged 33.3 points (46.5% FG, 41.9% on 3-pointers), 7.3 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in 38.8 minutes per game in the G League.

Washington hasn’t yet found a consistent role with the Rockets, who usually have Kevin Porter Jr. as their starting point guard.

But with Porter currently sidelined by a left foot contusion, the Rockets recalled Washington to their NBA roster on Saturday, and he’ll be with the team in Los Angeles for back-to-back games over the next two days against the Clippers and Lakers.

Scroll on for highlights and further analysis.

What Jae’Sean Tate returning means for Rockets’ rotation minutes

In the short-term, it appears Jae’Sean Tate’s return to the #Rockets will cut into the playing time of TyTy Washington and Garrison Mathews.

Though the young Houston Rockets (10-29) have lost 11 of 12 games and own the Western Conference’s worst record, widespread injuries aren’t a big reason. Excluding Jae’Sean Tate, no other rotation player has missed more than seven games due to illness or injury.

So, when Houston’s burly, defensive minded forward returned Thursday from his multi-month absence with a right ankle injury, something had to give for head coach Stephen Silas.

Though Tate is technically a forward, he’s an adept passer and facilitator, and that allowed Silas to play without a backup point guard. Rookie TyTy Washington, who had averaged 11.9 minutes over Houston’s previous 11 games, did not play. Another casualty was reserve wing Garrison Mathews, who has averaged 12.8 minutes per game this season but played only four in Tate’s return game.

It’s also worth noting that Tate, who came off the bench, took the usual role of rookie starter Jabari Smith Jr. in Houston’s attempt at a closing lineup. The other four starters — Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green, Eric Gordon and Alperen Sengun — were on the court with Tate.

Moving forward, however, Smith’s abbreviated minutes total (20) and his late bench stint is likely an anomaly, since he was in both early foul trouble and scored just 3 points on 1-of-5 shooting (20.0%). For developmental reasons, and in a rebuilding season, it’s hard to envision the Rockets playing their No. 3 overall draft pick from the 2022 first round such limited minutes on a regular basis.

Silas also made a change to Houston’s center rotation by not playing Bruno Fernando. But that didn’t appear to be directly related to Tate, since the Rockets had either Sengun or Usman Garuba on the court at all times. Rather, that looked to be a decision to stick with two centers instead of three and/or perhaps to reward Sengun for his strong play (20 points, 14 rebounds in 32 minutes) with more playing time.

In the end, Tate played just over 19 minutes as part of a minutes limitation due to his long layoff. For now, Silas can largely find those types of minutes by benching the likes of Washington and Mathews.

But if the Rockets want to scale up Tate’s minutes, more cuts will need to be made elsewhere — or perhaps a deadline trade of veteran guard Eric Gordon could do the trick. Such a move could also free up minutes for Washington and Mathews again. Stay tuned!

[lawrence-related id=108649,109037]

[mm-video type=video id=01gp3tqjjb2cx786zts8 playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gp3tqjjb2cx786zts8/01gp3tqjjb2cx786zts8-2b0d9851261554639678bd4c1966c35c.jpg]

[listicle id=109065]