In Tuesday's pre-season contest against the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets' Aussie prospect Jack McVeigh delivered an impressive performance in his limited time on the court.
In a touch over eight minutes on the court, McVeigh tallied up eight points on 50% shooting including two three-pointers, while also pulling down two rebounds to go along with it. The 6'8 forward's efficient outing hints at his promising potential.
After a four-year college stint at Nebraska, McVeigh went undrafted in 2019. However, he made some big waves in 2024, leading the Tasmania JackJumpers to an NBL championship win and a finals MVP honour to boot.
This impressive performance helped the New South Wales native land a spot on the Australia Boomers roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics where he played an integral role in the team's run to the quarter-finals.
This outstanding period of basketball from McVeigh drew some NBA attention, leading him to sign a two-way contract with the Rockets in July, joining fellow Boomer Jock Landale. A two-way contract is a deal that allows McVeigh to play for both the Rockets themselves and their G-League affiliate the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
While signing a contract with an NBA squad is a big step in McVeigh's career, the nature of the two-way deal throws up some uncertainties.
It is expected that McVeigh will struggle to see many minutes, if any at all, tipped to spend most of his time in the G-League barring any major injuries for the Rockets. So at 28, McVeigh will need to weigh up his options as to where he wants to spend his time playing basketball. According to Andrew Bogut via his podcast Rogue Bogues, heading back to Australia might be on the cards.
“Now you hope McVeigh has as long as a stay as he can in the NBA, but I've heard rumours that Tasmania's preparing for him to be back Decemer-ish,” he said.
“I'm sure Houston will be honest with him at that point that, 'We have you as a call-up guy where we'll bring you up and down', or 'No, we will just keep you in the G-League for the whole season'. He might say, 'You know what, I'll go back [to Tasmania],' or they could potentially cut him."
McVeigh's greatest attribute is his three-point shooting which he showed on Tuesday for the Rockets, going two of three from downtown. Although there are a number of players ahead of him, if he can keep impressing and play well in the G-League he might have a chance of extending his NBA career beyond his current two-way contract.
McVeigh's next chance to showcase his talents is in the Rockets' upcoming pre-season match on Thursday at 11am against the Oklahoma City Thunder.