DALLAS - As the media walked into the end of the Houston Rockets morning shootaround at American Airlines Arena, two players were locked into a fierce but friendly trash-talking three-point shooting competition. Every shot that went up had words that followed the ball towards the basket.

The game became popular by former point guard D.J. Augustin, who competed with his past teams. The rules state that a player must make three consecutive shots from one spot to advance.

Once we got closer to the court, most media members were not surprised that one of the voices talking the most was rookie Josh Christopher. He has stated on numerous occasions that the competition, along with the guidance of Augustin, helped him improve his three-point shot during his rookie season.

The other player we noticed was familiar to all of us but unfamiliar when it came to competing in the game. Rookie guard Daishen Nix was hitting shot after shot, and as he watched each one go through the hoop, his confidence and tone of voice increased. Nix would eventually win the competition, which he told Christopher he would at every spot they shot from.

“I only let you win because I didn’t want to send you into your interview mad,” Christopher screamed out as Nix made his way toward me.

“See what I have to go through,” said Nix with a smile. “He is going to keep saying that until we play again because that is the competitor he is, and it actually brings out the best in me to go against him.”

Nix, 20, cherishes every moment he spends on the Rockets’ active roster. The undrafted rookie who has split his time between Houston and G League affiliate Rio Grande Valley knows that he has to take advantage of every opportunity to display his skill set.

“I learned that there are no days off,” Nix said when asked about his lessons over the season. “I am not playing that much, so I can’t take a day off. Every day is a working day for me, especially since I am a rookie. Coming in and working every single day and just getting extra reps just in case my name is called.”

In February, the Rockets showed their commitment to the Anchorage, Alaska, native by converting his two-way contract into a four-year, $6 million contract. His consistent performance with the Vipers could not be ignored by head coach Stephen Silas and his staff. He was named G League Player of the Week in January after averaging 27.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in a four-game span.

“My main goal in the G League was to get my teammates involved because I know when I get called up by coach Silas, I am supposed to be that point guard,” said Nix. “I know that I was not going to be taking 20 shots a game like I did with the Vipers. So, me going back down to the G League developing into a pass first point guard helped me a lot coming back up.”

Nix will benefit from the remaining six games left in the season. The Rockets coaching staff plans to evaluate some of its younger talents by resting veterans Eric Gordon, Dennis Schröder, and Christian Wood.