The Houston Rockets have added another name to their offseason mix, announcing the signing of 22-year-old forward Julian Phillips.
Phillips brings a long, lean frame at 6-foot-8 and 201 pounds, along with the kind of athletic profile teams love to bet on. He’s known for his elite explosiveness and a 7-foot-1 wingspan, and that bounce showed up in a big way at the 2023 NBA draft combine, where he posted the top standing vertical leap at 36.0 inches and the best max vertical leap at 43.0 inches among all participants.
His path to Houston has already taken a few turns. After one season at Tennessee, Phillips was selected No. 35 overall by Boston in the 2023 NBA draft. He then spent his first two-and-a-half seasons with Chicago before being acquired by Minnesota in a February trade.
On the court, Phillips has logged 167 career games with seven starts. Over that stretch, he has averaged 11.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.6 made 3-pointers per 36 minutes, while shooting 43.5% from the field and 32.0% from deep. He has also played in 12 G League games, putting up 19.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per outing while hitting 41.4% of his 3-point attempts.
Phillips was also a McDonald’s All-American in 2022.
He’s the latest addition to a busy Rockets stretch. Between Tuesday and Friday, Houston officially brought in Isaiah Crawford, Jae’Sean Tate, Oscar Tshiebwe, and Phillips for its 2026-27 offseason roster. All four will get a look during training camp, which begins in late September.
The team did not disclose financial terms for any of the signings. Crawford, Tshiebwe, and Phillips are believed to be on non-guaranteed deals heading into camp, while Tate has a small portion of his contract guaranteed.
NBA teams can carry as many as 21 players during the offseason, but that number drops to 15 standard contracts and three two-way deals once the regular season begins. That usually forces some trimming before opening night.
If they aren’t claimed elsewhere at the NBA level, young players cut at the October roster deadline could become candidates to join Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers.
For Phillips, the mission is straightforward: make enough noise in camp and preseason to stick on an NBA roster. Houston will give him that chance.
In Other News...
Tari Eason Just Got The Chance To Silence Rockets Doubts
Tari Easons new five-year extension gives the Rockets a clearer picture of where he fits in their long-term plans, and it also raises the standard for what comes next. Houston saw enough in his energy, defense and flashes of perimeter shooting to commit, but the front office still knows the swing skill is his jump shot, the part of his game that can make him more than just a useful rotation piece.
The Rockets are also giving him a notable assist on that front by adding Chip Engelland to the staff, a move aimed at tightening up the kind of shot that looked promising early last season before fading later on. Easons early stretch showed why the organization remains intrigued, but the inconsistency that followed is exactly why this next phase matters so much for both player and team. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets May Have Finally Found What Amen Thompson Was Missing
Amen Thompson has already shown why the Rockets are so high on him. His athleticism and defensive impact have made him a cornerstone in Houston, but the next step in his rise has always been obvious: the jumper. For a player who can get downhill and create advantages, even a modest leap from the perimeter would change how defenses have to guard him.
Houston seems intent on helping him get there. The Rockets brought in Chip Engelland, one of the leagues most respected shooting teachers, to work with Thompson, and there is at least some encouraging evidence that improvement is possible after Thompson boosted his free-throw shooting last season. With more playmakers around him and a staff that clearly believes in the long-term payoff, the question in Houston is no longer whether Thompson can impact winning. It is how much more dangerous he becomes if the shot starts to follow. [Read more 🡒]