Two more back end roster players who will mostly be in the G League but with useful skills in case they are needed.
Jack McVeigh
McVeigh signed a two-way contract for the Houston Rockets this past summer, as a quest for more shooting led Houston to the 6’8” forward from Australia. He got his start playing for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, but didn’t finish school and headed back home to play in the NBL instead.
This past season for the Tasmania JackJumpers, he led his team to the NBL title, winning both the Finals MVP and team MVP for Tasmania with averages of 17.2 points and 5.4 rebounds. To top it off, the 28-year-old also is a career 38.2 percent three-point shooter in international competition, something the Rockets desperately need. He averaged 9.5 points per game during the Olympics, while shooting over 50 percent from the floor.
McVeigh stands to spend a lot of time in Rio Grande Valley on that two-way, but he’s an intriguing player. Already in his prime, McVeigh’s height and shooting ability could make him an asset, even with the varsity, but with Houston’s well-known roster crunch, it’s unlikely for him to see a ton of time barring injuries to other Rockets. But I’m interested in watching him play this season for the shooting alone.
N’Faly Dante
Dante is the last of Houston’s two-way players, and the seven-footer from Mali is another unheralded Rocket with some intrigue behind him. Coming in as an undrafted free agent, Dante went to Oregon, where he played five seasons, averaging 17 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.9 blocks per game during his senior year, while finishing as first team All Pac-12.
The 22-year-old Dante is a good athlete and is mostly a traditional center, with no three-point game to speak of. He scores on pick-and-rolls, dunks and put-backs. Where he earns his bread and butter is on defense, as he can be an intimidating shot blocker, and his length garners him plenty of steals as well. He played about 13 minutes per game during Summer League for the Rockets, averaging 3.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and almost a block per game in limited time.
If the Rockets can polish him up a bit offensively in Rio Grande Valley, they have a potential long-term project on their hands at center. But that’s not this year, as Dante will get plenty of time to work on his game with the Vipers, with thoughts of making a true impact in another season or two.