Ideally would like to see the record improve but still have a top pick. But we're trying to win a championship long-term. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do
I need to see more of him but he is old for a freshman and he was absolutely SHUT DOWN by UH. He can be a starter most likely but he isn’t ever going to be a creator for you. Really nice length and can shoot though and that means a lot.
Can Whitmore and Ausar Thompson are better prospects than Brandon Miller and Nick Smith. Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore are 3-4 in this draft but I’ll say this, Ausar Thompson is probably the best out of the rest.
Co-sign. Wemby, Henderson, Amen, Cam, Ausar. That is your Top 5. I feel there is a drop after 5 in terms of ceiling. I don't think Miller or Smith are good fits with the Rockets. It is highly important that the Rockets get a Top 5 pick in this draft.
I think Miller is a great fit! Great length at the 3 and shoots over 40% from beyond the arc. Have you seen how poorly this team shoots?!
Top 3. Whitmore/Ausar are redundant on this team. This team needs either someone who can run the offense or Wemby.
The interesting thing regarding a guard in this draft is there several players that are slated to be good passers. Scoot Henderson Amen Thompson (drop off??) Anthony Black Cason Wallace Then you have 3 of the likely 5 worst teams in the NBA with Thunder (Shai Alexander) Pistons (Cunningham) Hornets (Ball) although I would think with Ball back they improve Those 3 teams' best player is at PG. So if the Rockets do not luck into Victor W. What happens if one of those 3 teams gets the 2nd pick? Regardless the 3 mentioned teams potentially push down guards in the draft to the Rockets. Pushing up players like Brandon Miller/Cam Whitmore/Nick Smith. I don't see how it's possible the Pistons select a guard barring a trade of Ivey or Cunningham.
Both can play the 3 and are not redundant. Yes, we still need someone to run the offense, but you don't just push aside those guys ceiling.
You can never have too many great shooters ..... That's this teams biggest problem, they shoot a terrible percentage .... NBA worst shooting percentage on the 4th best shot profile. If they shot league average .... they'd probably be in the hunt for a playoff spot.
You can never have too many vet and consistent shooters however you could have enough junior shooters or streaky shooters. It takes numerous years to get them to the point...
https://theathletic.com/4022585/2022/12/21/rockets-wembanyama-draft-lottery/ Vecenie: I wasn’t doing this job when LeBron James entered the league in 2003, but in the years I’ve been doing this, Wembanyama is the best prospect I’ve ever evaluated. He’s a 7-foot-4 center with a near-8-foot wingspan who has already showcased real shot creation skill. He’s an 18-year-old leading the French League in scoring at 22.6 points per game, rebounding at 9.1 per game and blocks at 3.1 per game. He’s shooting 51 percent from the field despite taking about five 3s per game. Somehow, though, the numbers aren’t as wild as the tape. We have not seen someone this big who is this adept at creating pull-up 3-point opportunities and hitting step-back and side-step jumpers. He makes three or four plays in every game that make your jaw drop. Henderson is also genuinely terrific. Just as Wembanyama is thriving against older professionals, Henderson is also succeeding immensely in the G League, averaging 21.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and six assists per game while showcasing improvement in some of the areas scouts questioned. Henderson missed a ton of 3s last year, but was a bit more successful in the midrange as a pull-up scorer than many scouts realized. This year, he’s melding the two together. He looks more comfortable rising and firing when defenders go way under his ball screens, hitting 47 percent on said shots in a limited sample. I’ve always been a fan of his playmaking and passing out of these scenarios, but some scouts wanted to see better decision-making while leading an offense. So far, he’s shown that, averaging six assists with a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Again, Henderson is 18 and has been wildly successful so far. He’s an elite guard prospect in the context of recent league history, up there with players like Ja Morant, Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving and others taken with top-two picks. I’d place him a level above guys like Green, Suggs, Anthony Edwards and the Ball brothers (Lonzo and LaMelo) at a similar stage in their development. That’s the type of core that has a real shot to win a title together because Smith and Wembanyama would make them equally adept in the frontcourt on both ends. Smith is a monster help defender, and Wembanyama is the kind of elite-level pick-and-roll drop defender who can allow Smith to use his length and mobility to roam all over the court. Wembanyama would play well off Green in two-man offensive settings, and both players’ ability to create shots will open up the court for Smith’s elite pull-up and catch-and-shoot abilities. That’s a top-three that would genuinely make this three-year rebuild worth it. The other thing Wembanyama does is allow the Rockets to put a lot of different types of players around their core. The shooting of a Wembanyama-Smith frontcourt is ideal in terms of getting the most out of someone like Eason, who needs the right situation to actualize as a player. Smith and Wembanyama could both theoretically help Sengun in much the same way. Green’s improved driving ability becomes even deadlier when paired with Wembanyama’s gravity and spacing. Having a 7-foot-4 guy in the middle who can create his own shot, protect the rim at an elite level and shoot from 3 is the closest thing to a roster cheat code, in terms of allowing lineup versatility and flexibility around it. It’s hard to overemphasize how transformative getting Wembenyama would be for this group. Having said that, Wembanyama is the hinge point there because he’s the centerpiece. Every team needs Wembanyama, but this may be the one that most needs him. I don’t think this Rockets’ core has the No. 1 guy to lead them to championship contention yet. Green looks like he could get there as a scorer, but he has a ways to go before he can impact the rest of the game in a similar manner. The bar for being a No. 1 option on a title contender is incredibly high. Players like Bradley Beal, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine are not even at that level, and they represent optimistic outcomes for Green as All-NBA players. Green has a good chance to reach their level — again, I’m very high on him — but the odds are against him being the No. 1 guy on a title team because we’ve yet to see his player archetype break through that glass ceiling.
That's not such a bad thing considering its the last early draft pick we'll see for at least 3 years.
Agreed, the Rockets need more really good basketball players. There is no way I pass on either of those guys because of positional concerns.
100% this. Wemby is likely the difference between this being a possible dynastic rebuild and this being a 45 win team in a few years that never gets out of the first round. Henderson and Thompson are really good fits too.
