[ClutchFans] Houston Rockets Prospects Power Rankings – Volume 1

1. As far as I'm concerned, Jalen Green is the clear cut franchise player now and in the future.

2. I think the next best combination of raw material and work ethic is Jabari and Sengun and they have exactly inverse issues. It's actually perfect because even as 19/20 year olds they are perfectly suited to learn from each others' games. Sengun's skills are Jabari's weaknesses and vice versa, except rebounding. I can totally see this being a debate on the board for 5+ years about which one is actually the second best player while we're picking up titles.

3. KPJ and Tari
All the talent in the world, just have to focus on the mental side mostly (on/off court choices). Can they take good shots? Play disciplined defense? Be comfortable being unselfish? Focus during FT's? Get along with teammates. That kind of stuff which the top 3 guys have already cleared imo.

4. Tyty, JC, KJ, Tate
For Tate, he's a prospect for like what two more months because there is one last game breaker question about his 3pt shot that he's been working on all summer. I want to see how that goes.

5. Nix and Garuba. Nix and Garuba just need to get in NBA shape, and it's a mental red flag that they are this out of shape at this age. I think Garuba is as impressive a defensive talent as Jabari or Tari, while Nix is clearly a future NBA PG in terms of talent and size. However, for me, the mental side factors hugely into the projection of the player's career.

6. Bruno I just don't see anything good there. There are literally dozens of players on the FA market you can sign for the minimum who are just as close as Bruno to being a viable rotation player.

 

Agree with the top 4 rankings and outside of that I don't think it makes that much of a difference how you rank them for this upcoming year. KPJ is the main one "on the clock" so I guess it matters a lot for him and how much we ultimately pay him (if at all)

Even if you have say Sengun over Tari I don't think it makes that big of a difference because Tari can naturally play the 3.

My biggest question is can Smith or Sengun grow into a player that can eventually effectively guard bigger 5s. It's not a major issue considering how the game is played today, but playoffs are all about mismatches. If they can then I don't think it will matter how you order Smith/Sengun/Tari.

Having Smith's low usage and high defensive versatility (along with Tari's defensive versatility) will really help our young guys to grow naturally.

Great time to be a Rockets fan

 

Alpi 1 or 2.

 

I think I swap Tari and KPJ but would otherwise have the same list. Good read.

 

Just now seeing this article. Mostly agreeable.

I've never been impressed with Nix in his NBA appearances and I don't see any reason to think he'll have a massive improvement in the areas he needs it. Guards with an "old man game" are not enticing; though they are all compared to Andre Miller, there is only one Andre Miller - and I'm not certain he'd have as big a role in 2022 as he did back when he played.

I echo your disappointment in Garuba. I don't know if I ever said it here in CF, but it real life I was really hyping him up to my friends. I thought his defense and hustle would let him be able to play immediately. Instead, he looked like the chubby, middle-aged guy at 24 Hour trying to keep pace with the younger folk in a game of pickup. Nothing he did looked good to me.

Agree with this.

I'm of the opinion that you can only have 1 guy on the floor who primarily operates in the paint. So if Sengun is that one guy for us (and he is) then we have to compensate for his weaknesses in the other players that we acquire, and we cannot acquire anyone else who will share significant court-time with him who also primarily operates in the paint.

This is not the case for Tari, who projects to be the kind of player that could fit in anywhere.

I don't know if I'd put Tari above Sengun as a prospect right now, but I can see and understand the argument for doing so.

 

Tari could be Tayshaun Prince which would be ideal. Nix isn't an NBA player. KPJ was thankfully left off because anyone with a brain knows he's a 6th man

 

Great rankings Clutch. I’m glad u have Tari at 3. I give him the nod over Sengun because of his versatility. And while I think KPJ might be more talented than both of them, his ability to facilitate, the maturity issues, and his free agency status drop him behind those two.

I would like to see us consolidate some of our young talent through trade though.

 

He just turned 20. Remember what his strengths are elite seperation ability with his ball handling and agility combo. He also is projected to be a good shooter so he'll generate attention and doubles. That means he will be great at breaking down defenses and collapsing them. He doesn't need great natural court vision and passing instincts if he constantly collapses defenses and is competent enough to make easy reads to open dudes.

In time he has the potential to be a lead playmaker. I'm not saying it's guaranteed or the most likely outcome, but it's definitely a possibility especially when you just turn 20.

 

Yeah, I don't want to predict that he won't be able to do this or do that. I'm just making an observation on what his natural tendencies are so far. I think he will turn out to be more like Curry than Harden/Doncic (not claiming that he will get to that level, but I can hope).

Curry is great at moving without the ball and when he has the ball, he has the ability to break down the defense and make plays. But he is not a playmaker like Harden and doesn't hold on to the ball as long as Harden does. His assist numbers aren't great. He is a prolific scorer and warps the defense whenever he is on the floor. That's how I envision Green to be like when his game matures.

 

It seems that the pre-draft rumors of Eason not being very intelligent found their way into this analysis: "The only real question is his understanding of the game."

I saw almost no evidence of that in the summer league, and in interviews he comes off as exceptionally bright and composed, especially for a rookie. With absolutely zero proof to back up this claim, I remain convinced that a certain R. Stone might have been the original source of that particular rumor. Eason is going to be a Rocket for a long while, and will be a key contributor by the end of this season.

Also, poor Jae'sean gets no respect from some of you. And it's not limited to just ClutchFans; if you google "Rockets roster" and look for his picture at the top, you'll be surprised at how he's changed since the end of last season.

 

That's funny. Garuba is DA MAN!