Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers Summer League Game Preview: Start Time, TV, Lineups, Analysis

The Houston Rockets will begin their Summer League run tonight.

Last summer, Houston reached the Finals and Cam Whitmore was named MVP. It was the first time Houston had won the most at the NBA’s premier event in Las Vegas. For the full list and schedule, click here.

The two players Rockets fans will be excited to see are the two players they acquired during the draft period, Reed Sheppard and AJ Griffin. Sheppard’s game likely won’t translate into Summer League success since in his current incarnation, he’s probably better off the ball and shooting. Griffin is even more of an enigma, though he could play a somewhat similar role to Sheppard’s with the big club. For now, he’s a third-year pro playing in Summer League, which should serve as a warning that his position is perilous. He’s almost certainly the 15th player on Houston’s roster, so he’s the guy the Nates (Williams and Hinton) and Jermaine Samuels Jr. are looking for.

Whitmore will likely be used in a similar fashion to Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason last year, where they both played in Houston’s opener and were quickly benched. Whitmore is the only returning player whose roster spot is fully assured, so there’s no reason for him to play too many minutes.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN