Nate Hinton Has One More Chance to Impress Rockets

Houston Rockets forward Nate Hinton and the rest of the team are getting ready for training camp, which begins today.

Hinton is on an Exhibit 10 deal, which only guarantees his spot on the team for training camp, but a spot on the team during the regular season isn't guaranteed.

Hinton, 25, played in 15 games for the Rockets last season in his fourth year in the NBA. However, a strong training camp could land Hinton a spot on the team moving forward.

The Rockets have an open roster spot after AJ Griffin suddenly retired, which could go to Hinton or a player that's on a two-way deal, like N'Faly Dante, Jack McVeigh or Nate Williams. The Rockets could also give one of the two-way players a standard contract, and place Hinton on a two-way deal like he was last season.

Hinton makes sense as a fit for the roster given his experience under coach Ime Udoka from last season, but he is going to have to continue to show his progress. He'll be competing alongside second-year pro Jermaine Samuels Jr. and the two-way players above for a spot on the team moving forward, and the Rockets won't be able to keep everyone.

Chances are, Hinton will end up in the G League this season. The question remains whether it is with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers or elsewhere.