Summer League, what is not to love. It is where guys who are trying to get into or back into the league go to showcase their talent to teams, and for fans to get excited about their teams new draft picks. And yes I know that it is a glorified G-League and we should not overreact to it but that is boring and man oh man does Jalen Green look good. Green was the 2nd pick of the 2021 NBA Draft made by the Houston Rockets after he played this past season in the NBA G-League’s bubble, with the G-League Ignite team. So yes, he has had previous exposure to NBA rules and a lot of the players he is playing against but that does not take away from what Green is doing. The Houston Rockets are building something that is very interesting.
I’ve written about the James Harden trade before and how they should have kept Caris LeVert in that trade and not sent him to Indiana for Victor Oladipo, and I still think that. However, the wing talent that Houston has built since that trade, mostly Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., is very good. Houston also looks like they had a very good draft. Green has dominated summer league, in games against the number 1 and 3 picks nonetheless, the 16th pick, Alperen Sengun, looks like he is on track to be an elite offensive player in the league with all the tools he has shown in summer league. The 23rd pick, Usman Garuba, was very good for Spain in the Olympics on the defensive end and should be a very impactful defensive player in the NBA, and the 24th pick, Josh Christopher, has also shown some flashes early in summer league as well. The team also has some talented veterans as well, Kevin Porter Jr. scored 50 points in a game, and Christan Wood is a very good center who can space the floor really effectively. They also have some guys who have played in a bunch of big games throughout their careers in John Wall, Eric Gordon, and Daniel Theis. Head coach Stephen Silas has a lot on his board that he can potentially use, as I did not even mention young wings Jae’Sean Tate, KJ Martin, and veteran backup point guard D.J. Augustin.
A starting lineup of Wall, Green, Porter Jr., Tate, and Wood is a very good place that Houston can start. That lineup has a lot of talent with players that can score with some toughness as well. Off the bench. Martin, Gordon, Theis, Augustin, and the rookies should give Houston a lot of players that can play, leading to them being a likely fun League Pass team this upcoming season. However, they are focused on the future. Jalen Green is the start, getting the first star or star young player is very hard, and should Green continue the trajectory he is on, I think he has a chance to be a great player in the NBA, and a guy a lot of people, myself included, think can lead the league in scoring one day, that is how good Green looks like he can be. Kevin Porter Jr. also looks like he has the potential to be an All-Star player. The man can flat out score as he averaged 16.6 points in 26 games with Houston last season after coming over in a trade from Cleveland. Christan Wood signed a 3 year $41 million dollar contract to come to Houston last November, Wood had a great year with the Rockets averaging 21.0 points and 9.6 rebounds in 41 games with shooting splits of .51/.37/.61, I hope he is able to improve his free throw shooting soon. Hopefully John Wall has a bounce back season, and Eric Gordon can stay healthy because the Houston Rockets are not going to be fun to play against in 2021-22.
The Rockets also have a boat load of draft picks they acquired from the James Harden trade, as they control the Nets draft picks through 2027 and own a Bucks pick but they do not own their own 2024 and 2026 first round picks from a trade with the Thunder (they also owe Oklahoma City a swap in 2025), so I am sure Houston is hopeful that they can build a team good enough to make those picks not very valuable. The Rockets are putting their building blocks in place now, and will hope to build around their new young core for years into the future.
Yes, I know not to overreact too Summer League, but sometimes I cannot help it. Jalen Green has been balling since it started and I do not expect that to change in the next 3 games. Rockets fans should be very excited about the future built around the young players they already have, and the others that are coming sometime down the line.
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