I’ve come to the conclusion that if we are keeping the 10th pick, and Kon/Tre are off the board, the pick should be Carter Bryant.
Kasparas, him, and Coward are the three I expect to be the top choices if they don’t trade pick. Really not sure how I will react draft night knowing good chance pick is traded after the fact.
Based on the reports of the rockets wanting to somehow trade the pick tell me the rockets aren't super in love with Carter Bryant. But who knows, he is an interesting prospect.
I can see us ending up with Derik Queen. Just seems like a Rockets move. If so I hope they buy a later pick and take Rasheer Fleming as well.
What intrigues me about this kid is he’s 6’8 with a 7ft wingspan. So is basically Amen’s size, maybe an inch taller. He’s an excellent defender; probably top 3 in this class. Can defend all positions. He averaged 2 stocks in less than 20 min and the on/off numbers were really really good. He’s a very good knock down shooter. He’s not a creator but his catch and shoot 3pt was 46%. His floor is very high. At worst he’s a 2-way rotational player, but he’s got very high upside if he can improve the handles. I think we have to get a shooter out of this draft so I’m fine if the pick ends up being someone like Coward. We certainly need guards more than wings. But honestly i don’t think it makes sense to draft with this pick if we don’t make some sort of consolidation trade.
In any trade the 10th pick is the first thing included. We should draft with this pick because injuries happen and JaeSean Tate shouldnt be playing. Also, there are questions with Jalen Green, Whitmore and Reed Sheppard we shouldnt act like all these guys are set in stone already. Only permanent pieces are Sengun and Amen.
fair, but having Cam rot on the bench another year does no one any good. We have to start churning through some of our players. We are either playing those guys or we need to move them for value and make room for someone else. I agree that we should keep taking swings in the draft, but we can’t keep hoarding prospects without making decisions on their future with the team. 4 seasons of data with Jalen should be enough to make a decision on him. Moving him woukd free up minutes and money. So all I’m saying is at some point u have to evaluate your players and make decisions on their future, or you close off pathways for other potentially better prospects to get a chance and you forgo a chance to recoup value. I still think “asset management” is important.
Yet the Rockets are reportedly willing to talk trading Sengun, which would have to return a really big fish. Outside of Sengun and Amen, I also do not see any permanent pieces. In particular, in two years or so there are a lot of expiring contracts like Brooks, Jabari, Tari, Cam. The Rockets are going to have to make some very serious decision in the near future. If Amen really is the star that the Rockets build around, I am not even sure what his NBA position is. Given that, the Rockets might as well just draft the BPA with the 10th pick ... be it Carter or someone else.
I don't mind Carter Bryant too much but I honestly don't see the upside.. I don't see any way that his handles will improve and in my eyes, he looks stiffer than Jabari and definitely not as fluid (maybe it's just me). His wingspan is nice but it's still shorter than Coward's and Fleming's. And I get that he was maybe the 4th or 5th option on a team with ball dominant guards like Caleb Love... but 6 ppg as a nearly 20mpg starter... means he is disappearing quite a bit during games. Watch some of Arizona full games and sometimes you forget that he's even in the game. And as a consensus 5 star recruit and a top 10 recruit from his class... you'd expect someone of his pedigree to take more initiative and build his way up to at least the 2nd or 3rd option by season's end. That didn't happen for whatever reason. This may be extreme.. but all I see is James Michael McAdoo with a 3pt shot... I could be wrong though.. the kid is still really young.
Sometimes, a role player is just a role player. I don't see a huge star upside, but he could be a POA defender that can hit threes. There is a place for the Jalen Suggs and Derrick White's of the NBA. Not sure if he becomes that, but that floor potential would be why he's drafted over a bunch of guys that can't shoot that will end up as a waste of upside.
still holding out hope for these 2 if possible holding out hope for Khaman Maluach the second is Egor Demin
23 yr old is still too young IMO, I remember when Rockets had first dibs on Jeremy Lin, Christian Wood and Robert Covington, traded them and then had to resign them back for much higher cost later on. Some players like Sengun are good immediately and some take more time like Wiggins. Asset mgt is def important you shouldnt be buying high and selling low just to clear space.
I think that’s a fair take. And I’m president of the I don’t trust shooters that can’t dribble club, so I hear u there. I do think it’s far more important for guards than wings with long wingspans, but I take your point. Still think it’s hard to find guys with those measurements that can legit shoot and defend from day 1. He’s a better prospect than Tari was coming out in my opinion.
I mean, I do like his 3 pt shooting stroke and his tenacity on the defensive end. So like you mentioned, he does have a decently high floor and will likely be at minimum a serviceable 3&D player. But I do think his ceiling is capped as a high end 3&D role player, with not much star upside. If the Rockets already believe they have their star players in Amen, Alpi, and Reed, then I could understand them going for someone like Carter Bryant to fill in certain roles and provide more shooting.
I think Amen is our franchise guy, but we still need the offensive stud. So I’m all for taking the highest upside swings. But I’m not sure who that is in this draft after the early/maybe mid-lotto. I still think guys like Essengue and Maluach are too raw to bet on. Who do u think is the highest upside swings? And do u think a developmental prospect even has a pathway with this rockets team? I’m skeptical. Which is why I’d feel better if we consolidated a bit.
Agree that Essengue and Maluach are way too raw and not sure if their positioning/IQ/awareness will ever be able to catch up to NBA speed despite their natural physical advantages. I think for upside, the answer may be a bit surprising but I think Coward, despite being a junior and at 21 years old, does have room for upside. He was never really part of the AAU circuit, and never got that exposure. Then going to a D-III school (albeit academically a pretty decent one), with him being one of the taller and more physical players, he was playing the 4 (sometimes even the 5) instead of his natural position on the wing. Kinda the same thing at Eastern Washington. While this helped him grow a post up/triple threat game... I think it didn't allow him to show that he can operate as a 2-3 on the wing. His role at Washington St. would have allowed him to play his more natural position - but then he got hurt 6 games into the season. He's got a great looking shooting stroke (may be best in this draft class - either him or Kon) and from seeing some of his training tapes, I think he does have the ability to really improve on his handle. He's more of a guy who works really efficiently to get to his spots, so he's not going to dribble the air out of the ball anyways. Seems more direct, kinda like Kawhi. I think Coward's lack of exposure, his age, and lack of pedigree (in recruiting circles and also from playing in D-III/mid major) is hiding the fact that the guy has: 1) unbelievable physical tools (7'2" wingspan, strong NBA-ready physique, elite athlete and has Olympian track and field parents) and tested well at the combine for all the drills, 2) potential to be a high-end shooter and impact defender, and 3) may be the most cerebral and motivated player I've seen coming into NBA drafts in awhile with a really high IQ, a real love for bball, and someone who would fit in perfectly with Amen, who is also a high IQ basketball junkie. Given that his projected position is actually the weakest position on the Rockets (not sure how much leash Jalen will get), I think Coward would actually be able to crack Ime's rotation rather quickly.
I like CB, a lot actually, but you would be drafting a role player with no star upside imo. His handle is very weak and he doesnt really have a way to create any seperation or create his own shot. That being said his defensive playmaking is very good. His recognition and rotations are good. He has good awareness off ball and when to help. He can switch 1-5 and really goes after it on the defensive end. His shot and mechanics seem smooth and repeatable and the % is there to support it. Good but not great advanced stats. Steal and block %s are encouraging, not quite tari eason levels but still very very solid at 2.8stl% and 5.8blk%. Solid rebounder, more so on the defensive side, but not overly great. I have said before that he reminds me of a blend between tari and jabari. Hes #2 on my who i want list, that will realistically be there, so I would be more than happy to have him if we keep the pick.
I think there’s a world where he can be a #3 option on a contending team, while playing elite defense if the shooting translates. Probably the ceiling, but the floor is pretty high I think. like @Rokman said, would love to know your #1
