TyTy Washington steady in NBA Summer League debut

The Houston Rocket’s SEC trio of first-round draft picks, including Kentucky’s TyTy Washington, made their NBA Summer League debut Wednesday night. He, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason faced off against #1 overall pick Paolo Banchero’s Orlando Magic in the first matchup of the Las Vegas games.

Head Coach Stephen Silas had high praise for the man that dropped way too far in the draft during his in-game interview, calling TyTy a hard worker and a guy you “can’t speed up.” Something like this could be interpreted as coach-speak for a player who isn’t very talented and extremely slow, but that clearly isn’t the case when talking about Washington. For him, it truly means he is a guy that is in the gym a lot and plays under control at all times.

Doris Burke also shared the rumor that TyTy has been the best shooter in practice, a claim Silas did not dispute, and one Kentucky fans could have already told you.

As if TyTy Washington needed any more similarities to Tyrese Maxey, he wore #0 just like the Philadelphia 76er’s rising star. And if you were watching the game on a computer with a poor WiFi connection, the buffering-induced low definition would have made you think it really was Maxey on the court.

TyTy Washington came off the bench on fire

TyTy Washington did not get the start. He entered the game midway through the first quarter and made the crowd awe on his first touch. He drove the lane, did an unplanned-yet-smooth mid-air spin move, and kicked the ball out to a wide-open shooter in the corner. Unfortunately, the shot went awry, stealing what would have been a highlight reel assist.

The next time he touched the ball, Washington didn’t give it up. He drove the left side of the lane and drilled a pretty one-handed floater for his first Summer League bucket, the same one Kentucky fans saw many times last season.

TyTy Washington hits his first #NBASummer bucket!

Live now on ESPN U and will resume on ESPN pic.twitter.com/7YFeVNxwXU

— NBA (@NBA) July 8, 2022

Washington followed that up by drawing a foul on another impressive drive to the lane and drilling both free throws. Then, for good measure, immediately drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key. He wrapped up the first half with seven points, two rebounds, and an assist.

In the second half, Washington played more of the role of a facilitator. When he was in the game with Houston’s leading scorer and starting point guard, Josh Christopher, Washington played off the ball similar to his time at Kentucky. However, he got more minutes at the point in the second half and it led to a pair of assists.

It all tallied up to seven points, four rebounds, three assists, one block, and one turnover. In a way, you could say TyTy Washington’s Summer League debut was a microcosm of his lone season at Kentucky. He got off to a hot start but later cooled off and it ended in a disappointing loss.

Key takeaways

The key takeaway from TyTy Washington’s first NBA Summer League game was that there was no meaningful takeaway. There rarely is in these exhibitions. The gameplay was AAU-adjacent, with limited sets and guys primarily playing like you and your buddies on NBA2K: a lot of erratic one-on-one drives and ill-advised 3s. That is not a style of play where Washington is going to fill up the stat sheet.

Still, TyTy Washington held his own in a very TyTy Washington way. He let the game come to him and though his scoring dropped off in the second half, he played with the poise Kentucky fans saw in Lexington. No doubt he will have many quiet double-figure games for Houston where no one even realizes it until they see the box score.

The Rockets lost the game 91 – 77, so if nothing else, Washington gained some experience in losing in the NBA, something his young team will likely do a lot of during the regular season. TyTy and the Rockets will take the court again Saturday against the Thunder at 8:00 p.m. EST on ESPN2.