Houston Rockets: 3 things to watch in this year’s Summer League

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LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 6: Isaiah Hartenstein #55 of the Houston Rockets is introduced before the game against the Indiana Pacers during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 6, 2018 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Summer League is fast upon us, with the first game for the Houston Rockets happening on Saturday night. What are some things that the fans can watch for in the ever-growing offseason tradition?

While the Houston Rockets are looking to make moves to improve the team for next year, they will also be playing some basketball this offseason. The Summer League has quickly approached and will start for the Rockets this Saturday when they face the Mavericks at 8:00 CT on NBATV.

The Summer League is one of my personal favorite parts of the offseason, and that seems to be a popular opinion due to the growth of the games. With Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett set to square off on Friday, there will surely be a ton of people tuning in to watch.

For the Rockets, though, they won’t have any mega-prospects on the team that we will be watching. Instead, there will be guys scrapping to make a roster next year with hopes of becoming a regular in the league. Normally, Houston has a pretty solid squad, too. This year should be no different.

Roster/Schedule

The other day, the official roster was released for the Summer League Rockets. Take a look at who will be reporting to Vegas:

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1145729559897214977

There will also be four games played before the “postseason,” a single-elimination style tournament to decide the Summer League champs. The Rockets will play some interesting teams before the playoffs:

Houston #Rockets Summer League Schedule:

July 6 – Dallas (NBATV)
July 7 – Portland (NBATV)
July 9 – Sacramento (ESPN2)
July 11 – Utah (ESPNU)

— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) June 21, 2019

Besides the excitement of Rockets basketball being (shortly) back, there are some interesting things to watch for in these games. Let’s take a look at what should make you tune in, starting on Saturday night.

Next: Developing prospects