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.
