Rockets’ Jermaine Samuels Jr. ready to ‘stay in the gym’

Samuels had a strong rookie year in the G League as well when he played for the Mad Ants. For him, the G League has been a tremendous opportunity to get live game reps and work on his development as a player. The G League has grown with each NBA team set to have an affiliate by next season. It’s become the ultimate development ground for younger NBA players.

“The G League has definitely helped a lot, it’s shown me what I’m capable of and also showed me what I need to work on,” Samuels said. “I was given the ball, the ability to go out there and make plays, make mistakes and I feel like I grew from those.”

While Samuel’s time in the G League was certainly beneficial, one of the top challenges players on two-way contracts face is the potential shuffling between the NBA and the G League. Injuries and other issues can accelerate that back and forth. Players can find themselves playing in a G League game in the afternoon and then playing in the NBA later that evening.

It can be tough to get used to that grind, but for Samuels, it was all about doing whatever the Rockets asked him to do.

“You just got to remember why you do it and why you love the game,” Samuels said. “Some days you might be up here and some days you might not, but that’s what you sign up for. The whole object is to get better and contribute when your name is called. I feel like I did that throughout the course of the season.”

Rockets can use Jermaine Samuels’ play on both ends of the court

While Jermaine Samuels may not have gotten much of an opportunity on the court for the Rockets, he did show flashes of the player he can be while in the G League. A long wing, Samuels is capable of playing both forward positions. As a small-ball four, he can space the floor with consistent three-point shooting.

His outside shooting numbers fluctuated while at Villanova, but over the course of two seasons in the G League, he’s shooting the three-ball at a 36.3 percent clip. He’s also displayed the ability to be a playmaker a times. He had the ball in his hands quite often with Rio Grande dishing out 4.2 assists. He’s become more of a threat as the ball-handler in pick-and-roll situations rather than just a roll threat.

And he has the tools to potentially be an impact player defensively. It was back during summer league with the Rockets that Samuels showed that he was capable of being a good help defender and weakside shot blocker as well as being in good defensive position while playing man-to-man. Samuels believes he was able to improve on all of those facets of his game this past season.

“I feel like I’ve grown in the area of handling the ball. Last year I was more of a pick and roller, now I can operate in the pick and roll and I can also still be a roller,” Samuels said. “Obviously I still need to work on shooting. Everything else I feel like I did well, I passed the ball well, played defense and kept the game simple.”

Samuels heads into the offseason with a little bit of uncertainty. When the Rockets signed him to a two-way contract, it was for only one season. If he finds himself back with the Rockets, it’s most likely going to be another two-way contract. It’s also possible that his next opportunity comes with another team.

Summer league is probably going to have a major bearing on where he ends up for the 2024-25 NBA season. But in any case, Samuels is going to use the offseason to stay in the gym and prepare for whatever comes next.

“My offseason for sure will be more focused around my body, taking care of my body,” Samuels said. “Working out certain kinks that I haven’t gotten a chance to even touch ever since college. And obviously, in the gym, stay in the gym and prepare for whatever’s next.”