HOUSTON — Daishen Nix knew the importance of his summer league performance before the Houston Rockets arrived in Las Vegas.
"Daishen is a lot of things, and No. 1, he's a very good basketball player," Houston summer league coach Rick Higgins said. "If he believes he’s a very good basketball player, he can show it. There was some frustration and adversity in the first half of the last game [Orlando]. That second half and the fourth quarter, I think he showed the player that he is."
The objective for Nix during the 2022 NBA Summer League tournament was to find an equal balance between the player who averaged 20.6 points in the G League last year to running an offense as a backup point guard to Kevin Porter Jr. next season.
Nix struggled in his summer league opener in a loss to the Orlando Magic, but has since found his niche.
The Rockets are riding a two-game win streak ahead of their summer league contest against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night. And Nix has played a vital role in Houston's success at the Thomas & Mack Center.
He has averaged 17.0 points on 56.7 percent shooting from the floor, including and 60.0 percent behind the arc in the previous two games. Outside of his scoring, Nix has demonstrated his evolution as a complete point guard averaging 6.0 assists and 1.5 steals.
"This experience is going to help me a lot — especially going into next year," Nix said. "I am showing that I can run an offense. It shows that I've come a long way, and having a coach that believes in me each time he puts me in the game."
Nix always proved he had a feel for the game on an NBA level. But the one intangible that hampered his play with the Rockets last season was his comfort level.
He played 24 games in Houston during the 2021-22 campaign and did not have enough time to find chemistry with his teammates.
Not being comfortable played a significant role in his struggles against the Magic. Once Nix adjusted, the game became easier for Nix.
"I adjusted a lot, especially from game 1," Nix said. "In game 2, I played more, and I got the feel for it. Game 1, I was trying to get the feel for everybody on the team, like Jabari [Smith Jr.] and Tari [Eason].
"As soon as I got the feel for them and what they do, I put them in the right position, they did what they did, and we got the win."
Nix has spent the bulk of the off-season working out in Houston, and his on-court rapport with Porter and Jalen Green should improve next season.
You can follow Coty Davis on Twitter @CotyDavis_24
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