Rockets 2021 player recaps: Anthony Lamb, Cam Oliver, Cam Reynolds

If you told me before the season that I’d be writing recaps on these three at the end of the year, I’d have taken that bet in a heartbeat. Well, the Houston Rockets finished with the worst record in the league at 17-55, and here we are discussing three names no one thought would be here.

Anthony Lamb

Lamb played the most out of all of these fringe players, as he signed a two-way deal with the Rockets back in March and wound up appearing in 24 games on the season.

The 23-year-old swingman averaged 5.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and and 1 assist on the year while shooting 39 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from deep. He had a 21-point night in a loss to the Denver Nuggets on April 24 and finished with a career-high 22 points in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on May 5. He had two other double-digit scoring nights, showing off an ability to occasionally get hot despite his 17.4 minutes per game average.

With the team in the midst of a rebuild and trying to develop young talent, we’ll likely see Lamb at training camp next season.

Cam Oliver

The 6’8” forward played in just four games on the year after signing a 10-day deal earlier this month, but he showed out in the final game of the season, going for 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks. It’s hard to make a judgement on such limited playing time, especially coming from a young player on a bad team, but that’s the kind of line the Rockets could really use at the forward position.

The 24-year-old has bounced around a bit, spending time with the Rockets earlier in his career and also the Portland Trail Blazers before heading to the NBL and averaging a double-double for Cairns, so he’s far from a blue-chip prospect. But if that last-game line isn’t an aberration and he did actually come into his own playing in Australia, he could be a nice, young bench piece for Houston.

Cam Reynolds

Reynolds also came to the Rockets on a 10-day at the end of the season, playing in just two games on the year. And the 26-year-old swingman has bounced around even more than Oliver, also spending time with the Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, and San Antonio Spurs over the last three seasons. His age means he’s closer to his finished form that either Lamb or Oliver, and he didn’t wow in his limited court minutes, finishing a combined 5-17 from the field in his two appearances. But I trust the front office with their young talent evals. Reynolds’ future likely depends on who the Rockets pick up this offseason. Does he get a camp invite?