I'm hoping they keep the pick and take Jaden Hardy if he's still there. Check out his last month of the G league last year compared to how he started the season. Started to get it. Don't care about fit, who we have on the roster already, etc. Could be a superstar.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...th-a-surprise-prospect-jumping-into-top-five/ I'll cherry pick 3- Banchero 17- Duren 26- Hardy
If we are staying at these picks, which is unlikely, realistic options: #3 Paolo/Chet/Jabari #17 Eason/J. Williams/EJ Lidell #26 Braun but we should try to move up from #17
I think a lot of people are terrified of picking David Roddy, just like they were terrified of taking Jokic. At 26, grab that bat and take a homerun swing baby.
Spoiler Back in December I made this post, not having any experience watching any of these players. Applying it to today's ranks, I would venture to say that Kendall Brown, Michael Foster, and Max Christie have held up their value well and are realistic options in that range as highly touted high school recruits within the age range of our previous picks. Bryce McGowens is another name who has vaulted up the boards based on his in-season play. Michael Foster is not on most sites' boards as far as the first round, but rumors are that he's been working out really well for individual teams, and he has all the measurables you would desire for a junkyard-type forward, should Tari Eason (Seattle connection) be off the table for us. Trevor Keels is off my board based on his lack of any single NBA-level skill as far as I could tell when I watched Duke: the Ringer calls him "Lu Dort without the elite defense", lol. Peyton Watson too has had a dismal year and is a mid-second round flyer at best. Nzosa has fallen off completely as well. Patrick Baldwin I'm completely down on; it's not just his stats and lack of any athleticism at the combine, but if you go through his highlight reel it's quite obvious that he's just a stiff big man. He looks more like Perry Ellis than Shane Battier. If the Rockets buck their trend and consider upper classmen, then I would agree with others about popular options in the back of the first round like Beauchamp (Seattle connection), Dalen Terry, Walker Kessler, Christian Koloko, or Ismael Kamagate. Just remember that NCAA juniors may already be older than many players on our team including Sengun (19.9), Garuba (20.2), Green (20.3), Nix (20.3), Christopher (20.5), and KJ Martin (21.4). Even KPJ just turned 22.
I will be very surprised if the Rockets take three players in the draft, so 17 or 26 or both will be gone by the end of the draft. No one excites me at 17 or 26, in a weak ass draft. #17 + JC for #11/12 and draft a lottery ticket 1 or 3 or 5 (like Wesley or Duren) #26 for future late round FRP.
Agree with ideas, but I would not use JC to try to trade up unless it is higher than 11. The No. 26 for a future FRP is likely going to take additional assets. I see it hard that Rockets accept protections on a pick that may make it difficult to convey. I'm thinking odds are decent that Rockets trade for future FRP with the No. 17 (or maybe both separately or combined)
I agree. I think they are gonna punt 17 to a future year and either trade or draft at 26; especially if they think the draft is pretty flat from 17-26. I still hope they try for a top 10/11 pick cause I do think there are guys there who could be special, but someone good will be there at 26. We just need to do our homework and get that pick right. Good organizations do it all the time.
I'd be pretty happy if the draft unfolded like this: 3: One of the big 3 17: Solid wing prospect (Eason, Liddell, Jovic, etc.) 26: Rim protector (Kessler, Kamagate, Koloko)
I'm definitely still hoping for a trade up, but it is going to take the other team really liking a current Rocket that Rockets are willing to move or Rockets willing to add a future asset. On 26th pick, I expect there will be guys there, but I think a lot of it is luck/willingness to draft role players to find the right guy. Also, I think Rockets may run up against a roster crunch which would mean Rockets may need some luck on who they keep and who they let go if they draft 2 to 3 rookies this year. Really hoping Rockets can get Wall out of here in a trade and cut any slop that comes back to free up a roster spot.
People won't like this, but it makes sense, especially if it's too expensive to trade up -- trade 17 for future assets and use 26 on a guy who falls. The fact is we've made a lot of moves to have a ton of cap space in 2023, including insisting that we don't take back any non-expirings in the Wood trade. Using 17 to get even more future assets would set us up nicely. We'd still have a core of potential franchise corner-pieces (#3, Green, Sengun, possibly KPJ), young and talented prospects (#26, Tate, KMJ, Garuba, Christopher, etc.), and a bunch of future assets and cap space. We'd be in a great position to trade for a max-level player.
yeah the reality is that other than the top 4, there’s probably only one or two other truly special players in the lotto. And I’m sure there’ll be a couple outside the lotto, but in such a shallow draft u are probably hoping for a solid role player. To me that means if u can’t move up to get one of those few special players it’s smart to kick this pick into a future year. We can’t afford to focus on role players at this stage of the rebuild. At 26 I want to see the team take shots on high upside guys.
I'm really expecting Stone is going to do something that will really pisses off a large percent of the Rockets fans in the next week or so with a small chance of making most happy. If OKC takes Ivey No. 2, we will have another Green-Mobley debate regardless of who Stone picks. If Stone trades the No. 3 for the No. 4 or No. 5 with either a Top 10 pick this year or future FRP(s), there will be hell to pay. If Eason drops to No. 17 and Rockets trade out, there will be hell to pay. If Rockets trade No. 26 for future SRPs, the same.
Don't disagree with the read on the landscape, but playing devil's advocate. If one or more of those future FRP is unprotected and you get an extra crack at Wemby, or if lightly protected so can still get one of the nice Wings, since next year's draft is deeper, would Stone not at least pause to consider? When shopping for Gordon, wasn't one of the issues was that we were hoping for a future first but stingy team across the league didn't offer. This year's 3rd pick is actually something that opens up a conversation. Wood gone now. Asset wise, there's Gordon or maybe Tate, when it comes to trade, Rockets doesn't have much to bargain with. The likelyhood is that we're keeping the 3rd, better hope that 3rd hits because our trade chips keeps dwindling.
