Houston Rockets brass got quite the pleasant surprise last Sunday when the pick owed to the team from Brooklyn as a result of the 2021 trade to send James Harden to the Nets jumped from ninth in the draft all the way up to third. Scouts have pegged this one of the weakest drafts in years but that doesn’t mean there isn’t value to be had.
As a starting point, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone could look to trade the pick as part of a larger package for a more established veteran player. The Rockets won 41 games last season and are looking to take the next step as a franchise. It would be very difficult for a rookie to crack the rotation of a team with clear playoff aspirations but a veteran could provide a boost to a very young roster. The flip side here is that adding a prospect with the third pick would give the team an asset under club control on a rookie scale contract for four more seasons. That kind of value is at a premium under the punitive rules of the league’s new collective bargaining agreement. The Rockets are anticipating big money extensions for at least some of their “Core 6” of first round draft picks from the past three seasons and thus, it will be essential for management to identify low cost contributors.
If Houston does indeed decide to hold onto its pick, some names to keep an eye on are Reed Sheppard, Matas Buzelis, Robert Dillingham, and Donovan Clingan.
Sheppard, a 6’1 sniper from Kentucky, measured at a 42 inch max vertical leap at the combine. While he would provide an instant boost from long distance to one of the worst shooting rosters in the NBA, Sheppard’s size is a concern. The team’s backcourt of the future currently projects as 2021 second overall pick Jalen Green alongside 2023 fourth overall pick Amen Thompson. Veteran guard Fred VanVleet is the incumbent starter at point guard, though he is only under contract for two additional seasons.
Clingan, a 7’2 rim protector from Connecticut, could give a boost to Houston’s interior defense, an area the team has tried to upgrade over the past two seasons before trading multiple second round picks to Memphis at last year’s trade deadline in exchange for veteran center Steven Adams. Clingan stated at this week’s draft combine that he envisioned himself being able to space the floor playing next to Houston center Alperen Sengun, stepping out and shooting the ‘3’.
Will Stone shoot for upside or a safer bet to contribute? And in what manner does he look to structure this roster? The Rockets all season were one of the league’s best defensive teams but they also struggled against physical interior threats. They struggled overall offensively due to their lack of shooting. The answers to the aforementioned questions should be answered soon enough.
