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The Houston Rockets will open their 2023 NBA Summer League campaign with a game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday evening in Las Vegas.
The game will take place inside the Thomas & Mack Center and will mark the first of five games for the Rockets and the Blazers in the 2023 NBA Summer League.
Following their opening night contest against the Trail Blazers, the Rockets will then take on the Detroit Pistons (July 9), Oklahoma City Thunder (July 11), and Golden State Warriors (July 13).
The Blazers, meanwhile, will face San Antonio on Sunday (July 9), Charlotte on Tuesday (July 11) and Orland on Thursday (July 13).
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The Rockets' Summer League roster features Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. The second-year prospects will be joined by Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, the two players Houston acquired in the 2023 NBA draft.
Players to watch: No.3 (Scoot Henderson) and No.4 pick (Amen Thompson) to face each other for the first time
Portland will counter with No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson. As both Henderson and Thompson are point guards, they should spend considerable time in head-to-head matchups in their first appearance for their respective teams.
Portland will also have Kris Murray (No. 23 in 2023) and Shaedon Sharpe (No. 7 in 2022) on its roster, along with Keon Johnson and Rayan Rupert.
Houston Rockets 2023 NBA Summer League roster
Portland Trail Blazers 2023 NBA Summer League roster
Interestingly, Amen Thompson, the Rockets’ top-5 pick, will go up against a player taken before him in the draft, Scoot Henderson, on Friday, and the player taken after him, his twin brother, Ausar, on Sunday.
Similarly, Jabari Smith Jr. will face the player chosen before him in the 2022 draft, Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, on Tuesday.
Though the Rockets are likely to use at least one roster spot for another NBA veteran, there could be opportunities for young players now that they have agreed to move K.J. Martin, Usman Garuba, Josh Christopher and TyTy Washington Jr., featured players in previous Summer Leagues.
With the new CBA allowing for three two-way contracts, rather than the two that were permitted since 2017-18, there is also an open two-way spot along with Darius Days and Trevor Hudgins. Days, in particular, is a candidate for a standard NBA contract.
Head coach Ime Udoka has made it clear that no player will have guaranteed time due to their draft spot or potential, so expect fierce competition for playing time.
For their part, the Blazers are in rebuild mode and are focused on Damian Lillard's trade request, so any player that can stand out from their 2023 NBA Summer League roster could find a spot in their squad for the 2023/24 season.
If we can make a prediction, Thompson and the Rockets should take this one, even though we expect the Blazers to fight until the end.
Trail Blazers Nation! You can check out the latest Portland Trail Blazers Schedule and dive into the Trail Blazers Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.
