The NBA Summer League kicks off next month, and this year the Rockets plan to field their strongest lineup in hopes of winning the championship. According to Rockets reporter Kelly Iko, Whitmore and Eason have decided to play in Summer League, along with Amen Thompson and Shepard this year. The Rockets lineup is extremely terrifying, with Ethan, White Devils, Amen and Shepard this is the Summer League Big Four lineup. Among them, Ethan is incomprehensible, and he is already in the second grade, so there is no need for him to participate.
Maybe it's because Eason has been out for too long and needs to find his form, Eason has only played in 22 games this season, but he can cut in 9.8 points and 7.0 rebounds in limited bench time. When Ethan was able to play, his personal defensive efficiency ranked first in the league, and the Rockets also played a more terrifying defensive efficiency than the Timberwolves in the 22 games that Ethan could play. After Eason was injured, the Rockets' defensive efficiency began to decline, which is a visible impact, especially defense and rebounding.
For the Lakers, the Rockets are a powerhouse, especially Ethan's Brownie. Ethan has a top-of-the-line height and reach, plus a hand that is comparable to Leonard's big hand. Bronny is James' son, and he must have attracted enough media attention. And Ethan's favorite defensive player is such a player, as long as the opponent has a lot of spotlights, Ethan will instinctively want to lock him down. This is not good news for Brownie, he will really be educated by Ethan.
And the Rockets are not only Eason who can defend, Amen Thompson is also the master who can defend, template Ben Simmons. In addition, the White Devils Whitmore played MVP in the summer league last year, and the Rockets' offense can send waves to the Lakers. Of course, the most important thing in this summer league is Shepard's performance. Rockets general manager Stone said of Shepard recently that it's not just the team that wants him, but even the Hawks are considering taking Shepard with the top pick.
But the eagles still didn't dare to bet, and finally took the safe card Risachet. This year has been an absolute small year, and has been seen by scouts as having the worst quality of rookies. If Risachet had been placed last year, he would not have been in the top 10. If it is placed in 22 years, Risachet is estimated to be 20 picks. Ethan was selected with the 17th pick in '22 and Griffin with the 16th pick, and there were a lot of high-quality forwards in that class. So if there is a superstar in 24 years, there is a high probability that Shepard will have a higher ceiling.
Shepard has the best shooting ability of the tournament and is already guaranteed at the lower limit, and if he can adapt to the NBA intensity, combined with his 52 percent three-point shooting, it would be the Rockets who have taken a Curry. The current Jalen Green and Shin Kyung, even if they are Smith, are actually not cornerstones that can be revolved around in the eyes of the Rockets. If you are really lucky, that is, whether Shepard's scratch ticket can come out of the jackpot.
The Lakers also have a scratch Necket. His experience is a bit like last year's White Devil Whitmore, who was in the top five at one point before the '23 draft. But suddenly there was news that the White Devil had a problem with his knee and could have problems by the age of 30. In fact, the White Devils didn't have any injury concerns in the first year, and the Rockets earned him with the 20th pick in the first round. In the same way, Knecht was predicted to be sixth and seventh before the draft, but he fell to the 17th pick and was missed by the Lakers. The Lakers certainly won't win this time, but Shepard vs. Knecht and Ethan vs. Bronny will be interesting.