I would not be surprised if the Rockets look at Kyle Anderson at the end of round one. He is a swing forward, measured at 6'9" with a 7'2" wing span and around a 9'0" standing reach. In the modern NBA his measurables make him very intriguing as a defender in the RIGHT system. He is physically very weak and his body is not yet developed. Physically he reminds me of Jared Jeffries. You don't want him guarding a 4 for 30 minutes a night, but he can cause havoc against small forwards and switching all over the floor. He does get steals with his long arms and will probably be a plus shot blocker in the NBA. He is a sophmore at UCLA and there is a reason that he is not a lottery pick. He does not shoot well inside (roughly 49% on 2's) but can hit 3's (49%). His issue is that he is a very selective shooter and is picky about the 3's he takes. He is a very good passer (8 assists) and a solid rebounder (8 rebounds). He does NOT finish well inside and anyone that wants a good athlete will be disapointed. He is not a bad athlete, in that he does move well with the ball, he has decent body control but there is nothing explosive about him. He relies on his intelligence to fool defenders. With the possibility of Parsons being dealt for a star player at some point, Anderson is worth keeping an eye on. He does things that would fit the Rockets well. He fits the mantra of being a very good ball handler and he can hit 3's at a very high rate. He can defend in a team concept but he is physically as strong as a 12 year old. In the new NBA the lack of strength doesn't matter as much. UPSIDE: Imagine a young, more skilled version of Jared Jeffries that defends, hits open shots and can handle the ball. DOWNSIDE: Out of the NBA like Julius Hodges. It is possible his lack of strength and athleticism will be overwhelming and he will too limited to have any real impact.
I would be very surprised if the Rockets kept their first round pick. Knowing that we are trying to acquire another superstar either through trade, or free agency, and knowing how teams value first round picks..I think it is more likely that we trade our first rounder for a future first rounder. I don't think Morey wants the risk of a rookie guaranteed contract on hte books and the player we pick possibly underperforming and his trade value going down the tubes. A 2015 first round pick is going to be more value than a player on a rookie contract unless that player somehow beats the odds and becomes a better player than his draft position.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Talked to Kyle Anderson's dad outside the MGM Arena. Asked him if there was any shot Kyle returned next season: "No chance. He's done."</p>— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ryan_Kartje/statuses/444275609070338048">March 14, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Anderson's dad says he's heard from various NBA people that Kyle will be a Lottery pick.</p>— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ryan_Kartje/statuses/444276272512790528">March 14, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Always thought he would be picked in the lottery. Said it several times here over the years, the mainstream mocks(DX, nbadraft,espn) are utter garbage, no way he gets picked in the late 20s or 2nd round.
