2025 NBA Draft Lottery Thread (Rockets get #10 Pick)

So Stone gets hammered for drafting obvious pick Bari, but little to no credit for obvious pick Amen?

I do get that Stone's strategy of getting a lot of good picks is powerful and makes his drafting ability look better. I do think the hits outweigh the
misses as the misses are still NBA rotation players. I think getting Sengun is huge.

 

It's been rigged forever.

Decades ago, I accepted this.

It's like some of you are just now finding out there's no Santa Claus.

 

The Rockets really should try hard to trade up. The Rockets have so many Picks and young Players.

Jabari Smith value has gone up in the Playoffs.

 

Stephon Castle plays like Chris Paul.

 

the worst thing about last night was the most honorable man in sports hakeem the dream olajuwon having to fly all the way there and put up with this fuking farce in person

 

Article: NBA Draft Lottery: Inside the silence, confusion and celebration from the Mavs’ stroke of luck

 

I think that’s fair. Have to give big credit for Amen and Sengun, but need some accountability for Jalen and Bari. Yes they are still rotation plsyers, but those were our two highest picks in two very good drafts.

hey, look, you can’t get it right every time, but Stone doesn't move off his plsyers. I need to see some churning through the roster this summer. It’s time to make some decisions. Consolidation is needed, moving off near max contracts like Jalen’s is needed. Jalen is not worth $36 mil per for the next 3 yrs and we need that money to add a #1 option and/or extend the guys we actually want to build around.

 

Lots of Celtics fans have been talking about what roster moves will happen if Jayson is out for next season with an achilles tear. Potentially moving on from Jaylen Brown, Derrick White or Jrue Holiday. The Celtics do not want to pay deep into the luxury tax in a season that will most likely be a first-second round exit next year without Tatum. They have been paying millions in luxury tax for years. The team was sold this year because it was just not profitable anymore and the starters are making a combined 200+ million dollars per year. Now the Celtics are facing a CBA that will cripple them if they stay above the second apron.

I think any of those three would be a huge addition to this team. If we can't get Giannis I would love Derrick White or Jaylen Brown as our starting shooting guard. Brown already has a great relationship with Ime as well.

 

accurate

FU NBA

RIGGED

 

Yeah, that is a bummer…. Dallas and the Spurs have hit the NBA lottery heist, when generational talent was there for the taking. In their rebuild, the Rockets have a solid team, but they sorely lack the superstar scorer. Jalen Green went MIA when it counted most, and he simply isn’t at the elite level.

If the Rockets are going to win, it’s going to be via scrappiness.

 

Yeah, the Mavs pick took a (likely) big hit last night, but the 2027 Nets pick is looking really good. Especially when coupled with Phoenix's pick in that same draft.

And honestly the more I look at it, the less I'm certain about Dallas' situation in 2029. AD's deal ends in 2028. Do the Mavs extend him at age 36? Kyrie is coming off a torn ACL and will be a free agent after next season(assuming he opts into the 44 mil he's owed next year). Do the Mavs extend him at age 34? Washington and Gafford are free agents in 2026. Marshall is a free agent in 2027.

It's entirely possible the Mavs come 2028-29 are capped out, have massive money tied up with two washed up former superstars, and a bunch of other slightly less massive contracts for their role players. They'll still be ok presumably with Flagg on the roster, but will they automatically be a playoff team?

 

Make one or the other happen


10. Houston Rockets: Kon Knueppel (Duke, SF)
10 of 59

Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
Size: 6'6", 217 lbs

Age: 19

Nationality: USA

Pro Comparisons: Cameron Johnson, Kevin Huerter, Corey Kispert, Saddiq Bey

Kon Knueppel has the type of consistent shooting stroke that could mesmerize during predraft workouts. And while shooting remains the No. 1 selling point, the pick-and-roll passing, driving efficiency and IQ plays create more versatility and perceived upside.

Any encouraging athletic testing numbers will be deemed a bonus, and it wouldn't be surprising if Knueppel does surprise teams with his foot speed and agility.

Team Fit: If the Rockets don’t move this pick, Knueppel might find floor time easier to come by than it was for last year’s No. 3 pick, Reed Sheppard. Knueppel already boasts an NBA-ready blend of size and shooting, and with his advanced feel, he should be able to contribute to a winning team right now—provided he can hold his own defending in space. —Zach Buckley, NBA Analyst

TRADE IDEA

Rockets Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Pat Connaughton

Bucks Receive: No. 10, Alperen Şengün, Reed Sheppard, Cam Whitmore, Jock Landale, a 2027 first-round pick (via PHO) and a 2028 first-round pick

 

No joke -

In 24 months the Spurs add Wemby, Fox, Castle, Harper to Sochan, Johnson and Vassell.

The Spurs are over here deciding which 19-21 year olds get to start with 24 point a game Fox.

The Rockets are over here leaking to the media that they still love Jalen Green and old man Fred.

 

I'm not as optimistic about the 27 Nets' pick. In the eastern conference it will be easy for them to make the playoffs. They had to actively tank this year just to get the #8 pick. It might have more value to us now as part of a trade.

 

I'd say the Jalen extension and KPJ extensions are probably the worst decisions by Stone. Hindsight may show the Green and JSJ picks could have been better, but it is hard to be perfect in the draft. Those two extensions were unforced errors. Stone did protect the Rockets a little with how the contracts were structured, but the risk was apparent when he signed them.

Overall, I'm really happy with Stone's draft results and the overall position the Rockets are in. On consolidation, the Rockets need that offensive star first before the Rockets do too much, IMO. If the Rockets trade for Booker, the Rockets would need players different than if they traded for Giannis (this is just an example). I think someone like Cam Johnson would fit both scenarios, but I think FVV* as an example is more important if the Rockets have Giannis than Booker.

Granted, I would be very leery of trading too much for Giannis or Booker or whoever. I don't want to switch places with Milwaukee or Phoenix. I think the Rockets should be able to offer more than other teams for a star without locking their roster.

*I like FVV's 3 point shooting [it will be better with better players] and defense, and playmaking is likely fine if there is an offensive star at a non-guard position.

 

Santa Claus comes every year, not so for your team being in the lottery. I still want to have hope but then yes, I am reminded when they start reading the results from a lottery that no one was able to witness.

 

yeah but we just saw the #10 and #12 teams get the #1 pick the last two years. The flattened lotto odds have made unprotected pics and swaps more valuable. Things can change quickly; just look how quickly our mavs pic went from being maybe our best asset to now, not as great. As long as your draft slot gets you a seat on lotto night you’ve got a real shot at a franchise talent. I think the 2027 nets pick still has a ton of value.

 

I don't think there are 7 for SURE but there are a number that could go over Jabari in a redraft.

The players that for sure would go over Smith are:

Banchero, Holmgren, Williams, Daniels and Sharp.

The players that could go over Smith are:

Braun, Kessler, Sochan, Jovic and Williams.

Jabari hasn't been a bust and there is still time for this list to change up or down.

 

You forgot Ivey.

Jabari wasn't the wrong pick, he just didn't work out how we wanted. Paolo was supposed to be a Rocket, the Magic pulled the rug.

Green was the wrong pick.

Amen was the one pick where it was obviously the pick and it worked out perfectly.

Sheppard tbd but looking like Castle was the right pick.

 

For good or bad - a lot of the high lottery picks made by Stone were the consensus picks. That is why I would not hammer him for taking Jabari Smith over someone like Dyson Daniels. Even the Green pick - I preferred Mobley and Barnes, but Green was the pick a lot of teams would have made.

The nice picks he has made is Sengun and to a lesser extent, Eason.

My biggest complaint about Stone is his lack of detail - he didn't have a coherent plan as far as the type of players he was going to target. The Thunder for example had a clear philosophy on the players they wanted, the Spurs did as well. As a result the Rockets roster lacks balance.

That issue can be fixed through trades - but it isn't ideal - same with the horrendous coaching that the players received during the rebuild, letting guys like KPJ and Wood destroy any chemistry and undermine the coaching staff.