Rockets 2019-2020 player previews: Jaron Blossomgame and Michael Frazier

With training camp underway and the season just weeks away, the TDS staff is going to highlight all 20 players on the roster.

Today, we’ll dive a little deeper into Jaron Blossomgame and Michael Frazier Jr., two players with an outside chance to make the roster.

Jaron Blossomgame

Blossomgame, 26, was a late addition to the Rockets’ training camp roster after several veterans (Luc Mbah a Moute, Iman Shumpert, Corey Brewer) opted not to sign with the team.

The San Antonio Spurs selected Blossomgame with the penultimate pick in the 2017 Draft, but it wasn’t until 2018 with the Canton Charge that he took a huge step in the right direction.

As a Two-Way player for the Cavaliers last season, the 6’7” wing/forward played in 27 contests for Cleveland last season, starting in four of those games.

He struggled in the NBA, averaging 4.2 points per game.

In the G-League, he thrived, averaging 17.3 points per game in 29 contests.

Blossomgame is not a strong distance shooter, making under 30 percent of his threes in the NBA and G-League.

Blossomgame’s impact is felt far more on the defensive end and his fit on an NBA roster is as a defensive spurt of energy off the bench.

Unfortunately for Blossomgame, one of his NBA comparisons, Thabo Sefolosha, is also on the roster and likely blankets any possibility he has of making the Rockets. He might need an injury or two from players higher on the depth chart if he wants to make the roster.

Michael Frazier, Jr.

Frazier is a RGV Vipers standout from a season ago when the team won the G-League Championship.

Frazier signed a deal with the Rockets in early April, but his $1.4 million salary for the upcoming season is non-guaranteed, making him an unlikely candidate to make the roster.

Frazier is a dynamo from distance, shooting over 38 percent last season from beyond the three-point line.

His familiarity with the coaching staff and system is a plus for Frazier. However, he is only recently coming off injury and was just recently cleared for training camp.

Frazier’s challenge to make the roster is similar to Blossomgame’s. He is buried on the depth chart behind several veterans with guaranteed deals.

He is likely heading back to the G-League for the 2019-20 season with another chance to prove he belongs at the next level.

There is a place for Frazier in the NBA, but the chances of that place being in Houston are slim with Houston’s championship contender status.

He will likely need to find an opportunity elsewhere if he wants to play in the NBA this season.

In the preseason, he will audition for all 30 teams to try and claim one of the Two-Way deals, and he will get that opportunity during training camp.