Unfortunately, the Rockets were sent home today in the second round of the Summer League playoffs. Still, there is a lot to be excited about with their performance during the week.
The Houston Rockets have a ton to be proud about with their Summer League experience. They went 4-1 in Las Vegas on a team that consisted of zero first-round picks of the Rockets.
The team lost to the Cavaliers Saturday afternoon by a score of 95-87. It was a close game throughout, but the Rockets could never quite take control of the contest.
Melton vs. Sexton
The matchup everyone was watching for was De’Anthony Melton vs. Collin Sexton. They both shot poorly, 5-17, but contributed in other ways.
The matchup:
Collin Sexton: 17p, 5r, 3a, 2s, 5-17 shooting
De’Anthony Melton: 16p, 10r, 7a, 4s, 5-17 shooting
— Space City Scoop (@SpaceCity_Scoop) July 14, 2018
Sexton was the first round pick of the Cavs, the No. 8 overall selection this season. Melton was the No. 46 overall pick by the Rockets and has played like a first rounder in the Summer League.
De’Anthony Melton
Arguably the biggest bright spot of the Summer League was De’Anthony Melton. The former USC guard came ready to play for the Rockets and might have earned himself some minutes this season.
Melton showed, at times, a much-improved 3-point shot from what we saw in college. He shot over 40% from distance in three of the five games this summer. That wasn’t the most impressive part of his game, though.
The defense and hustle of Melton are what really was great. He is a rebounding machine as a guard and locked down the wings he defended. He also wasn’t afraid to sacrifice his body for a play and showed that on multiple occasions, including today:
Unreal amount of hustle by Melton. pic.twitter.com/xbtoS03Irk
— Space City Scoop (@SpaceCity_Scoop) July 14, 2018
Others
Many other players from the Rockets were showing out in the Summer League. Danuel House, the former A&M Aggie, had a great run of things, including 30 points today. He might have earned himself a roster spot with the Rockets, or, at the very least, with some team in the NBA.
Zhou Qi and Isaiah Hartenstein showed improvements from last year, it will be interesting to see how they develop throughout the regular season.
Vince Edwards showed flashes of greatness for the team. He is someone who can light it up, but his shot wasn’t really falling in the Summer League.
Next: Rockets are the frontrunner for Melo
We’ll have some more in-depth analysis of each key performer at a later date, but congrats again to the Rockets on a successful Las Vegas Summer League! It was a ton of fun to watch.