Thompson has been the expected pick for a long time, and he fills a huge need for them. He's a true point guard and a freak athlete, and he should start from day one, which would move Kevin Porter Jr.to the bench. Amen.
optionality. I thought for the longest time KPJ was the perfect sixth man. He may still be. Amen has the ability to be a point forward though, and potentially allows for KPJ to remain on the court with Jalen and himself. It will be interesting to see which way Udoka plays it and how free agency impacts it. I am sure we will see it at least for small stretches though and the thought is tantalizing. Another option if we really want to run an old team out of the gym, Smith at the five and Whitmore at the four for small stretches. That would make thirty year old legs feel like forty year old legs in a minute. Harden would get winded just hearing about it.
Draft brought me out the woodworks... haven't been on here since McGrady was still healthy LMAO Excited for the future. A+
Not sure if posted in this thread yet, from mystery paywall website with a + Houston Rockets: A Round 1: Amen Thompson (No. 4), Cam Whitmore (No. 20) Round 2: None Whitmore's slide was perhaps the biggest story of the draft as it unfolded. A month ago, the Rockets taking Whitmore would have been assumed to be the No. 4 pick. Instead, they were able to take a high-upside swing on Thompson and still get Whitmore with their second pick late in the first round. Only time will tell whether the medical concerns that played into Whitmore's fall are legitimate. My assessment is that teams tend to overvalue the long-term downside of injury risk as compared to the risk of drafting someone who can't contribute when healthy. At the point he was taken, Whitmore -- third overall in my projections, which don't include the Thompsons -- was easily worth the gamble.
I think we did the best with the hand we were dealt. It wasn't easy to trade up to begin with given that what our team is actually willing to part with, we had nothing of value. This was from a talent perspective, the absolute best scenario we had IMO.
I'd give the Rockets an A+. With Thompson, they drafted who they saw as the BPA. With Whitmore, it was of course sheer luck that he fell so far down on draft night. But as it has been mentioned already, Houston wouldn't have been at Number 20 to take advantage had Stone not previously made the Eric Gordon trade with the Clippers to move up 10 spots. Personally, I didn't think much of that trade when it happened. So, full credit to Stone and the Rockets for thinking many steps ahead.
