TyTy Washington Jr. is the most highly profiled Houston Rockets prospect playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Washington has averaged 17.8 points on 47.9 percent shooting from the field, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals across five games.
When the Rockets assigned Washington to their G League affiliated team, he said several teammates shared advice on how playing for the Vipers could be beneficial.
One alumnus who communicated with Washington was second-year guard Daishen Nix.
"I told him that G League players are NBA players," Nix said. "What he has been doing so far has been great. He is playing and starting. He is doing what he did in Kentucky. I told him to continue playing hard and doing what you do."
The Rockets assigned Nix to the Vipers last season, where he helped the organization win the 2021-22 G League championship. He averaged 20.6 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field, 7.6 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals.
Nix's play resulted in him becoming a rotational player within coach Stephen Silas' lineup as Houston's backup point guard.
Nix said it meant a lot to have Silas' trust to lead the second unit. As the primary floor general, it helped build his confidence. He spent the summer improving his defense and ability to facilitate the ball to keep his teammates involved.
Silas believes Nix has done a great job handling the responsibilities of a point guard. He highlighted that he was impressed by Nix's ability to record five assists in Sunday's 127-120 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
The next objective for Silas is to help Nix become more vocal.
"He's a point guard and knows when to give the ball up timely and on target," Silas said. "He's so smart. He has made a good jump from last year to this year as a solid backup point guard. But he has to become more vocal. That's going to be the next step."
Nix signed a two-way contract with the Rockets after going undrafted during the 2021 NBA Draft. His performance with the Vipers led the Rockets to convert his contract into a standard deal during the off-season.
Nix's on-court development and helping the Rockets win more games have been his primary focus. But he has kept an eye on Washington whenever an opportunity arises.
Tuesday afternoon, Nix raved about Washington's crossover that left Mexico City big man Bruno Caboclo on the floor the prior night.
"I saw it everywhere," Nix said. "I did not get a chance to text him because I know his phone was blowing up. But when I see him, I'll tell him [it was pretty good]."
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