Three things to watch in Rockets training camp

NBA training camps are now less than a week away, starting on September 28. Here are three things to keep an eye on in camp.

What to make of Dante Exum?

Since the Houston Rockets decided to meet John Wall halfway in finding a different team for him, so many opportunities were created for the younger players on the team. The Rockets just signed 26-year-old Dante Exum to the roster, which could earn him up to $15 million over the next three seasons. Exum has only scored 3.8 points per game while playing seven seasons in the NBA. Training camp starts soon so a ton of experimenting will take place.

Role player rotation

Josh Christopher, Armoni Brooks, and Exum are on a bubble for minutes this season, but Wall not playing allows playing time amongst the three. Besides those three, the Rockets have David Nwaba, DJ Augustine, Danuel House, and Kenyon Martin Jr. that could possibly average between 15-20 minutes per game. The automatic minutes will go to Alperen Sengun and Eric Gordon, which both will get 20-25 minutes per game.

The Rockets also have Usman Garuba, Khyri Thomas, Anthony Lamb and Matthew Hurt who could possibly play in the G-League because of the lengthy roster.

If players are not sent to the G-League, a decent number of cuts could happen during training and preseason camp depending on the decisions of Rafael Stone and Silas. That could help the Rockets stay below the tax line more if needed too.

The guidance of Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green

Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images

The front office is letting the combination of Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green debut this season. Porter and Green will have to learn from their mistakes on the fly. Communication is important amongst the two and with Coach Silas, as he will guide them throughout the season.

This will be a savvy, versatile, and athletic backcourt. Hopefully, Porter and Green take advantage of older defenders, as they both are young and aggressive. Although this young backcourt will make mistakes, the combination is going to be fun to watch. Wall will provide an extra eye for Porter and Green while he remains patient for an adequate trade. He is a veteran with great leadership skills and IQ for the game.

Besides Wall, Porter and Green could also lean on Daniel Theis, Jae’ Sean Tate, and Christian Wood, which is most likely the starting rotation. Gordon is another veteran that the two players could talk to if problems occur during the game. They’ll have a village to guide them to success.

The Rockets can become a play-in team if they take advantage of opponents who do not take them seriously. Hopefully, Silas figures out his rotation so he can display the correct pieces for an exciting season. In my opinion, this team could win between 40-45 games by playing fast and smart. They have the best upside in the NBA.