We are three games into the five-game Las Vegas summer league, and the young Houston Rockets are in the middle of what has to be described as a successful campaign. The team is 2-1, most recently with victories over the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
The 2022 first-round rookies have come exactly as advertised. Jabari Smith Jr. has flashed elite defensive potential, Tari Eason has been explosive and scrappy on both ends of the floor, and TyTy Washington looks like the balanced guard Houston hoped for when they drafted him.
In addition to the rookies, much of the group’s scoring and narratives have come from their second-year guards. Specifically, that’s 2021 first-round draft pick Josh Christopher and 2021 undrafted free agent Daishen Nix. Christopher has served as the team’s alpha engine on the offensive end, and Nix has started at point guard in all three contests.
