C For the 3rd year in a row the Rockets draft a better player with their second first round pick than they got with their first pick in the first round.
This will make folks feel even better about our picks. Two credible opinions: https://m.youtube.com/live/juiwN3GSSko?feature=share
I don't listen to what the "so-called" experts say, they would have us in perpetually free fall.....forever They are laughing inside knowing that the opponents (right now) are going to have everyone play drop coverage and pack the paint....mucking up everything so Green, Sengun, KPj and Amen have no room to get near the rim on drives.
A+, we played the cards we had well which is all we can do. People wanting more for some reason are playing the 'what if' game. We could have traded up sure but we were trading up to draft Whitmore who we got any ways so..A+
Still processing a lot of things, but as I noted in another thread, getting Cam at #20 is fantastic. I've been a bit critical of him, but getting him at #20 seems like a huge steal. I've noted why I like Amen, so yeah getting *both* pretty much guarantees an A+ for me. I don't think trading up was super realistic (or it would have cost too much), so given realistic expectations, this was as good as it gets IMO. If I was going to nitpick, I'd say I *kinda* wanted the team to look at getting someone in the last 1st rd or early 2nd rd. Possibly an international guy that could be stashed for a year or 2. James Nnaji or Rayan Rupert come to mind (I also might have liked Leonard Miller or Cissoko). Think they had some unspent cash that will go to waste (well back to Tilman I guess), and they have a ton of 2nd rd picks next year I think, so I was thinking maybe there was some room to make a move like that. So that might have made it a A++++ draft.
We all know the only way for guys to improve is to (a) play; (b) be coached well; and (c) work hard. I think all of those things can happen (with the question being "a", because we don't know how much time Amen will get out of the gate, for example). That said, for all the concerns with shooting, here are my thoughts: (1) Jalen and especially KPJ (and I'm not a big fan of KPJ) will shoot better off the ball with Amen's passing ability and vision; (2) from what we've heard about Amen's work ethic (sounds similar to Jabari), working on shooting should come; and (3) even if #2 doesn't come along quickly, the improvement in #1, along with potential FA additions should bode relatively well for a reasonable improvement next year. And that's not factoring in Cam at all. All rebuilds take time, and I'm good with that, even for as painful as the last 3 years have been. But as long as we add a couple seasoned FA to help lead the young guys and also know down some shots, I think we have a chance at a 35+ win season this year (2023-24). That's not quite the play-in yet, but I think 2024-25 we definitely hit the play-in.
I went with a B... lets be honest - were it not for the dumb luck of Cam falling to 20... this woulda been an epic failure imo... tank all season for an unproven talent @4 that cant even shoot... i'm thankful Cam fell to us... but Stone didnt do chit - accept make the consensus picks at our preordained spots...
Draft lotto = D (semi rotten luck) Ego trade = B (should've left the year before but ended up great...) Draft itself = A+ (good luck?)
1 year ago if you'd told me we'd end up with Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, neither would have been on my radar and id have guessed we were picking in the middle to bottom of the draft. Two weeks ago, when Whitmore hype was at its peak, I'd have guessed that we pulled a "Texans" and traded for a second top 5 pick. If you are judging the draft based on how we performed relative to mock draft expectations in the media, they greatly overperformed. But the underlying assumption is that the media "big boards" accurately reflect reality, despite mountains of evidence to the contrary. See Miner, Harold and the extremely palpable disapointment when we passed on him for some no-name from Alabama. I like it but I think people are maybe a little overhyped due to expectations imposed on them by the media process.
I don’t like the amen pick and I’m lukewarm on Whitmore. I just don’t see how this team can function with so little shooting. I think we’re in for another season in the lottery, I just hope we’re lucky enough to keep our pick.
Way too many A+’s. We’ll see if Stone can actually put together a competitive “team”, not just a collection of impressive players. Presti knows how to team-build but I’m still skeptical about Stone. We may still very well be one of the worst teams in the league.
This is as good a draft as one could ask for. A+++, and I'm not even that high on Amen as others due to shooting, but his potential is through the roof. Add Cam at 20? We robbed people last night, they just don't know it yet.
