Welcome back to the NBA Summer League, Kennedy Chandler.
After playing 34 games with the Raptors 905 G-League team during the 2024-2025 season, Chandler returned to the summer league with the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
The former Tennessee guard tallied 22 minutes off the bench and made the most of his opportunity with the second-most points on the team and the most from the Rockets’ non-starters. Chandler recorded 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting with one of three going in from three-point range. He also did a good job of getting to the free-throw line, putting up a game-high 11 free-throw attempts and knocking down seven of them.
Chandler also added five rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
KC in his Rockets Summer League debut:
22 PTS / 5 REB / 3 AST / 22 MINpic.twitter.com/3bWLLvNOfd
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) July 12, 2025
He even worked well with a former Kentucky Wildcat throughout the night.
Kennedy Chandler dime to Reed Sheppard for three pic.twitter.com/uDR5lAf9MD
— Noah Rubin (@NoahRubin22) July 12, 2025
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Chandler’s next game with the Rockets will be against a familiar friend.
The Rockets will return to the court on Sunday, July 13, for a matchup with the Detroit Pistons’ summer league team. The Pistons have former Tennessee teammate Zakai Zeigler and former Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, who both made their NBA debuts on Friday night. Lanier, the 37th overall pick and a starter on Friday, finished with 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting, while Zeigler tallied eight points on 2-of-4 shooting in a bench-high 18 minutes.
Considering the on-court minutes that all three players had on Friday night, it won’t be a surprise to see the trio of former Vols spending a good amount of time on the court together on Sunday. We’re expecting a good bit of Zeigler vs Chandler action at the point guard spot, too.
Chandler has bounced around the G-League in recent years but played the previous season with the Raptors 905 squad. In just over 21 minutes on the court per game, Chandler averaged 10.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.
Here’s a look at what’s coming up for Kennedy Chandler and the Houston Rockets in the remainder of the NBA 2K26 Summer League:
July 13: vs. Pistons (Las Vegas) – 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2/ESPN+
July 14: vs. Hawks (Las Vegas) – 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+/NBA TV
July 17: vs. Trail Blazers (Las Vegas) – 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+/NBA TV
