From Bruce Thornton’s backcourt poise to Isaiah Crawford’s perimeter shooting, discover which roster hopefuls are fighting to secure their future in Houston during this year's summer showcase.
While the Houston Rockets don’t have any major star names on their Summer League roster this year, there are definitely a few guys to keep an eye on. That obviously starts with Bruce Thornton.
The six-foot, 233 pound bowling ball of a guard will get to showcase his game for Rockets fans later this evening. The matchup against the Denver Nuggets is scheduled for 5:30CT on ESPN2.
With this being the first time most of us will get to watch Thornton perform under a microscope, I’m very intrigued to see how he’ll handle the situation.
Will there be rushed shots and turnovers with him trying to force the issue? I’d honestly be a little surprised given his poise all throughout college, being named team captain at Ohio State in all four seasons.
He also has a guaranteed contract already, as covered on Roundtable. He’s not trying to earn a spot on the team, or even impress other teams around the league, unlike some of the other guys in Summer League.
Virtually every other player on this roster is fighting for a spot in the NBA, though. Rockets fans might be familiar with Tristen Newton, Daishen Nix, and Isaiah Crawford, as they’ve all been signed to two-way deals in Houston.
With the guard depth already being handled on the main roster, I’m much more interested in Isaiah Crawford as a wing. In his time with the Rockets, he’s been a high energy wing, despite his three ball not falling.
In the G-League, however, he shot 41-percent last season, per NBA Stats. On 6.8 attempts per game, he’s definitely earned his sniper badge and could be exactly what Houston needs.
Considering he’s a restricted free agent, I’d expect to see him on the roster again. This will only be as a two-way player, but he’ll be around.
The same could be said about Quadir Copeland, who we previously discussed here on Roundtable. He’s already signed a two-way deal and is expected to be with the Vipers and Rockets next season.
Rafael Stone and the front office were very high on Copeland, reportedly planning to use the 53rd pick in last month’s draft on him before discovering he would go undrafted.
I previously assumed they had their eyes on two big men, as covered on Roundtable, but it turns out they might’s gotten their guy without having to use any draft capital. With that in mind, I’m certainly curious to see how he looks out there.
While any number of the rest of the guys could pop off and get a contract, I find that to be relatively unlikely. Unless you’re a Rio Grande Vipers superfan, I don’t think you’ll be seeing much of these other guys, but it should still be fun to watch.
