Rockets: Looking at the role of some of the younger players

The Houston Rockets pretty much have their rotation set for the upcoming season, barring any trades. Where do some of the younger players fit into that equation?

The Houston Rockets are in the boring days of the NBA offseason. From the middle of August until training camp begins, there isn’t a ton of news to go around with a few exceptions.

This is the time of year, though, that we can analyze how the rotation and the team are looking heading into 2018-19. The Rockets have plenty of young talent that may get to prove themselves in the coming season. Let’s take a look at some of those young players, four in particular, and their role for next season.

Zhou Qi

Zhou is someone who could potentially find himself in some games this season for the Rockets. He had a rookie season that saw him play garbage time minutes for the team in both the regular season and the playoffs.

Now, after a strong Summer League, he may be competing to be the third center on the roster with the next player on the list. He can stretch the floor and has natural defensive instincts at any level.

He also went off in the Asian Games a few days ago against Jordan Clarkson:

Isaiah Hartenstein

Another person coming off of a strong Summer League is Isaiah Hartenstein. He took a chance coming to play for the RGV Vipers last year and it paid off, earning himself a three-year contract this offseason.

He will likely be competing for the third center spot behind Nene and Clint Capela with Zhou Qi in training camp. Harty might have the advantage, though, as he is a bit more polished than Zhou. We shall see who has that Tarik Black role this season.

De’Anthony Melton and Vincent Edwards

The last two guys we’ll look at today are the two rookies selected by the Rockets in the NBA Draft this year. One of them, Edwards, has been signed while the other, Melton, is still in negotiations with the team.

Melton had an outstanding Summer League that saw him flash some serious potential. He had an all-around great week and showed a wide variety of skills on both ends of the court.

Edwards was decent and showed some promise, but likely has a bit more tuning in the G League to do this year.

Both of them will have issues joining the rotation of a team that won 65 games a season ago and had the best record in the league. That’s what Daryl Morey told us around a month ago in our interview.

If Michael Carter-Williams struggles, then maybe De’Anthony Melton will have an opportunity to be the backup point guard for the team. Until then, the two rookies will likely see themselves in Vipers jerseys improving their skills.