The NBA’s Summer League in Las Vegas continued Tuesday with some of the best young players in action in a matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets defeated the Thunder 105-92 in a game that did not feature either Amen Thompson or Chet Holmgren. Thompson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft, has been ruled out for the remainder of Summer League with an ankle sprain while Holmgren was held out for non-injury reasons.
With two of the top players out for Tuesday’s matchup, it was a chance for some of each franchise’s other young players to make a lasting impression, and the Thunder’s Keyontae Johnson and the Rockets’ Cam Whitmore did just that.
Thunder Got “Steal” With Keyontae Johnson
Oklahoma City selected Johnson in the second round of the 2023 draft out of Kansas State.
The 23-year-old began his college career with the Florida Gators and his draft stock took a dip when he collapsed on the court in a December 2020 matchup against Florida State, putting his basketball future into question.
Johnson played just five games for the Gators between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons before transferring to Kansas State ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
He went on to have a bounce back season with the Wildcats and is now putting together an impressive Summer League.
OKC THUNDER @okcthunder
Getting through the paint and 🆙 pic.twitter.com/9p0wn3TYrs
Although the Thunder lost Tuesday’s game, Johnson put up 19 points, five rebounds and one assist in just over 21 minutes, drawing rave reviews on social media:
𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗮𝗺 𝗠. 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼 @AddamFrancisco
I said this on draft night, but the Thunder really, really got a steal with Keyontae Johnson.
The only reason he fell so far down in the Draft is due to his health condition, but he’s clearly a first round talent.
In the first half, he tallied 15 points and 2 rebounds on…
Lisa 🔴⚪️Member of Seatbelt Mafia First Officer @lisajean1922
Have yourself a game Keyontae Johnson!! I’m so happy for this young man!! #AGTG #ThunderUp
⚡️𝙃𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙜𝙤⚡️ @HotelBasketball
Keyontae Johnson had an amazing game with the Thunder sitting a lot of their main guys.
17/4/1, too strong for the Rockets little guys inside, very bouncy, quick for his size too. Nice spark plug guy with a future in the NBA if you ask me.
OKC Dynasty @OKCDynasty
Keyontae Johnson might be him
Ben Sigwart @sig_50
KEYONTAE JOHNSON showing out right now.
Chili Palmer @livingnthe90s
OKC got Keyontae Johnson too? That scouting department is amazing #SummerLeague
Johnson still has plenty to prove at the next level, but this is a great start for a player who could potentially become a solid bench contributor for the Thunder in the future.
Rockets Rookie Cam Whitmore “NBA Ready”
The Rockets selected Whitmore 20th overall in the 2023 draft out of Villanova, and he’s already making a great impression for the Rockets in Las Vegas.
NBA @NBA
Cam Whitmore slices through the defense for the smooth bucket 💪#NBA2KSummerLeague on NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/QhEZyP1dl1
NBA @NBA
Cam Whitmore throws it down with AUTHORITY 😤
Watch HOU/OKC #NBA2KSummerLeague action on NBA TV!
📲 https://t.co/1vi3UqGwwk pic.twitter.com/u5OFrTkeaS
The 19-year-old finished Tuesday’s game with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals in just over 33 minutes. While he doesn’t have many games under his belt, fans already believe he’s NBA ready:
Joey E Russell @Midwest__sports
Cam Whitmore looks NBA ready man #Airdrop
Joe Johnson @sitkamission
Cam whitmore is niceeee that’s all….
Joey Bien-Aime @_joeygood
Cam Whitmore probably should have been a top 7 pick maybe top 5
reggie “GUTTERBALLS” bryant 🎳 @midrangejumpr2
Cam Whitmore played great team basketball tonight letting teammates eat, and still got his own. Another fun Summer League win for the #Rockets
4ThePeople @Habibi4TW
Cam Whitmore shouldve went in top 6
Eman @NYC_ClayMan
Cam Whitmore is going to be a problem
17 Chips @yungblores
It’s abundantly clear that Cam Whitmore has all the prerequisites to be a good nba player, especially in terms of athleticism.
Just has to learn how to harness that athleticism so he can control his pace a bit more.
He gets a better feel for stopping and going?
Problem.
One thing Whitmore needs to improve upon is his shot selection, though that should only come with time, and he’s already looking like a player that can make an impact off the bench for Houston regardless.
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