This thread is made to discuss/debate different prospects the Rocket's have a legitimate shot at getting. In the past DM has had a lot of success finding players late in the draft that have great potential. With a loaded draft class, there should be more talent late in the draft than usual. A player I could see as a DM type is Sean Kilpatrick. 6'4", strong guard, who is (offensively) carrying his Cincinnati team into a top 20 ranked NCAA team. 19.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.4 asts. Currently he is not on either draftexpress or nbadraft.net top prospect lists meaning he could be an undrafted or late second round addition that could prove to be a quality player. Is he a viable option for the Rockets? Is he just a chucker? What other players could you see DM trying to get?
The way have trended, instead of taking kids in the second round he has tried to take less risky prospects which stayed the full 4 years. He spoke about this at the Sloan analysis tics Confrence a couple of years ago saying that the rockets front office has done studies on when certain players seem to be productive nba Players and one of the conclusions was 4 year college students had a high chance of atleast moderate success
Ethan Freak'n Wragge. This dude is Kyle Korver on a league minimum salary for at least 2 seasons. Just for your information, if you want to see the most entertaining pure basketball in the NCAA, you should watch Creighton. Especially if you are a Rocket fan. They're shooting 43% as a team from the 3-point line. Wragge is a huge part of that. Last year I was so hoping McDermott would come out and we could nab him at the end of the first or early in the second. But he stayed. Good for him. He's now a likely lottery pick. Another sick, sick shooter. Creighton has a good a chance as any team of winning it all this year.
Wragge has the size you want and he can hit 3's, he has to be close to 50%. However just keep in mind that Riddick and Korver are in the NBA and important role players because they have worked extremely hard at the other parts of their game. Korver in particular is a workout warrior, especially on his defense and ability to score other than just from 3 land. Wragge hasn't shown the ability to score anywhere on the court other than from the three point line. He is terrible from the paint or on penetration. Still for a second rounder, if he shows any defensive aptitude he is worth considering.
I wonder about Alex Poythress, who was projected early on last season to be a lottery pick (I think Chad Ford even said he thought he'd go #1). He has really dropped off at Kentucky... seems overshadowed now. Definitely seems like a tweener and I'm not sure what role he'd play in the league, but strong and athletic. If he can guard threes, I'd say he has good defensive potential. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs-55ytp8Ug
Marcus Paige sophmore point guard out of UNC really interests me. He's averaging 16.8/3.6/4.4 assists on 42% 36% shooting. He's had some impressive games this season especially the one against Louisville earlier in the season. UNC just been having alot of issues this year. Hairston etc. He's a pass first point guard, but they're trying to get him to look to score more. Just really interests me as a prospect. I like Shabazz Napier, Russ Smith, and Semaj Christon as well in the second. All could be solid rotation guys in my opinion. Lamar Patterson has interested me as well lately I think he has a thread dedicated to him.
I agree - I'd like for Houston to start looking for a guy that can give serviceable backup minutes to Parsons/Harden, primarily focusing on D, and I think Alex can provide that, at least for Parsons. I also like Lamar Patterson, who, IMO, would be a mini-impact player immediately, i.e. I don't think he'd see much time at RGV. This is probably my Duke-bias coming out, but if Houston wants to keep the current offensive set-up, Andre Dawkins is a guy who should get some considerations as a post-draft signing.
Wouldn't mind picking him up but he does not seem like a Morey kind of player. Also Kilpatrick is leading his team well. Cincinnati is # 7 rank. Just beat UCON. Kill had 26 pts, 12 reb, and 6 asts. Pretty good accolades for a player who I didn't find on multiple draft websites. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=400496991
Joe Young TJ Warren Cleanthony Early Rasheed Sulaimon would be great if he did decide to enter. Greek Freak's younger brother?
If TJ Warren fell all the way to us, I would pick him in a heart beat. But I would be somewhat surprised if he wasn't a first rounder.
Oh gosh, you're getting Morey excited! I do think he has a lot of talent but with a lack of production so far, it will be interesting to see where he lands in the draft.
A new player that could be added to the list of prospects is Andre Dawkins of Duke University. The reason I bring him up is we can most likely sign him to RGV without drafting him. What I like about Dawkins: -Despite having a sad story and missing a year of basketball to calm his emotional past, he has come back for his senior season at Duke and improved dramatically. -Three point specialist -Was known primarily as a dunker coming out of highschool, but somehow that aspect of his game has been lost when he started playing in college. I believe he hasn't show cased his athleticism because of his lack of handle for the ball; however, there is a chance his athleticism can turn into defensive potential. -High character Duke player -Most likely will be undrafted, so he can just be signed to RGV
If DM likes four-year guys in the second round, he'll love a five-year guy in the second round. Got to admire the way Sean Kilpatrick's numbers get better each year.
