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The Houston Rockets Sign Reigning G League Rookie of the Year
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- The Houston Rockets Sign Reigning G League Rookie of the Year
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Sean Pedulla has agreed to a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets . Pedulla will fill the third two-way contract on the team, and occupy the team's final roster spot.
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Pedulla played four years of college basketball: his first three with the Virginia Tech Hokies and his last with the Ole Miss Rebels . Pedulla became the Hokies' top scorer in his third year, averaging 16.4 points per game. His most prolific attributes were his free-throw and three-point shooting. He averaged 82.2 % from the free-throw line throughout his three-year tenure. From behind the arc, he averaged 36.7%.
He played his single season for the Rebels in 2024-25. While he was there, he started every game and played a big role in helping the team to a Sweet 16 run. He earned himself a spot on the All-SEC Third Team by averaging 15.4 points per game while shooting 39.2% from three-point range. He also proved his overall versatility and IQ through his impressive 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
Although he had a solid senior year, Pedulla went undrafted. He then joined Portland and played in the NBA G League for the Rip City Remix. Across the 36 games he played for them, he averaged 19.7 points and tied the franchise single-game record by putting up 46 points against the College Park Skyhawks. He also averaged 5.3 assists and broke the franchise single-game record by dishing out 18 assists. These impressive stats and performances earned him the NBA G League Rookie of the Year.
It also earned him a small opportunity to play in the NBA, as he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers . However, he only played seven games, in which he was allotted a total of just 31 minutes. This sample size is not big enough to get a fair baseline.
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On August 17th, 2026, Pedulla signed his two-way contract with the Houston Rockets . The 23-year-old guard will have another chance to earn himself a rotation spot in the NBA. However, he has a competitive depth chart at the guard position, which creates a difficult path to receiving playing time.
In order to receive any minutes in the NBA, he will have to be prolific for his new G League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. His addition gives more competition to Bruce Thornton . Increased competition typically results in overall improvement, making the future of the young guards even more promising.
