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Rockets vs. Pacers Summer League preview: First game!

By Michael Knight

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 14: Zhou Qi #9 of the Houston Rockets sits on the bench during the 2017 Summer League game against the Atlanta Hawks on July 14, 2017 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 14: Zhou Qi #9 of the Houston Rockets sits on the bench during the 2017 Summer League game against the Atlanta Hawks on July 14, 2017 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Rockets will begin their Summer League journey today! It’s always an exciting time of the offseason.

The Houston Rockets are playing today! They have some Summer League action against the Indiana Pacers starting at 2:00 CT. As with all Summer League games this year, it will be on National TV. This time, it is on NBA TV.

The NBA, for the first time ever, will have all 30 teams participate in the Las Vegas Summer League this offseason. The Rockets will be starting against the Pacers, then playing to Warriors on Sunday and the Clippers on Monday.

Roster

As this is the first game, let’s go over the roster a bit. Here is the official 16 as posted by the Kelly Iko on Twitter:

#Rockets official Summer League roster pic.twitter.com/jsfTQmVJfc

— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) June 29, 2018

One interesting name to watch for is Roger Moute a Bidias. He is the brother of last year Rocket Luc Mbah a Moute. Could this mean that Luc is interested in re-signing with the Rockets for next season? That would certainly be good news.

Also, Rob Gray of the University of Houston will be fun to watch. He has tons of Houston pride and will be trying to earn a spot on the final roster.

Projected Starting 5

This is by no means final, but here is what I am guessing will be the starting lineup for the Rockets today:

De’Anthony Melton/Trevon Duval/Gary Clark/Vince Edwards/Zhou Qi

Another possibility to start is Isaiah Hartenstein, someone the Rockets drafted last year and are impressed with his improvement:

2017 draft pick Isaiah Hartenstein impresses Rockets https://t.co/cBMSycYpTb

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) July 6, 2018

What to watch for today

The two drafted rookies, De’Anthony Melton and Vince Edwards, will be looking to prove themselves to their new team. The Rockets will be watching them closely to see if they can contribute this season to the squad. Edwards is said to be closer than Melton to earning a role, but both will be showing off their skills.

For the Pacers, they will be showing off 2018 first-round pick Aaron Holiday. He is the brother of Jrue and Justin Holiday, who are both in the NBA. Will he have the talent to make it in the league like they have?

Zhou Qi is expected to show some improvement from last year. He has much potential as you could see at certain times last season. If he can grow into his tall frame, Zhou could be a dangerous weapon for the Rockets.

Next: Two players to watch in the Summer League

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @SpaceCity_Scoop! We will be live-tweeting the game and sharing updates from the rest of the Summer League!

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