Houston’s G League affiliate acquires rights to Cassius Stanley

Cassius Stanley isn’t under contract with the Rockets, but the 23-year-old guard will play for Houston’s G League affiliate after the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers traded to acquire his rights. That could provide the parent NBA club with a closer look, since RGV utilizes coaches, systems, and development staff chosen by the Rockets.

Stanley played one season (2019-20) in college at Duke, where he made the ACC’s All-Freshman Team, before being chosen in the second round of the 2020 NBA draft by Indiana. From RGV’s press release, here’s a look at what the 6-foot-5 guard has done since:

During the 2021-22 season, Stanley appeared and started in 24 games for the Motor City Cruise, in which he averaged 13.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 28.5 minutes of action. He also appeared in nine games for the Detroit Pistons, averaging 5.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 17.2 minutes.

The California native made his debut in the G League during the 2020-21 season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, where he played 12 games, seven of which he started, averaging 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 27.9 minutes of playing time.

In the summer of 2021 Stanley participated in the NBA summer league with the Indiana Pacers. He led the team with 1.2 steals per game and averaged 11.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in five games.

The Vipers have acquired the returning player rights to Cassius Stanley from Motor City Cruise. In exchange, RGV has agreed to trade its first round pick in the 2022 NBA G League draft.#LightsOut #RGVVipers pic.twitter.com/2LiOa21hG1

— RGV Vipers (@RGVVipers) August 26, 2022

Stanley does have a connection to the Rockets, since he played in high school with young forward KJ Martin at Sierra Canyon.

Stanley won’t report to training camp with the Rockets, since this isn’t an NBA contract. Thus, any team can ultimately attempt to sign him, if desired. However, the Rockets should have an advantage in terms of evaluating Stanley as a potential system fit, since he will be playing under similar principles with their G League affiliate.