This guy makes perfect sense for the Rockets. They have their ball handler in James Harden already. Might as well pick players that will pull the trigger if passed to.
That's my thought. The offense is going to be designed to maximize what Harden and Dwight do best, similar to how SA's offense is designed around Parker and Duncan. Everyone else needs to fit into a specific role. Isaiah can be Houston's Gary Neal.
Not sure why the average grade from these pundits is a "C." The pick is really, really good for where it is (2nd round) and it also makes dealing a current PG, a lot easier. Not sure if the C is for the player, the situation, or if these pundits just suck.
If I was to critique this pick, I would say its a solid, safe pick with good value. That would be a "B," in my opinion.
The drills video in another link impressed me. If he brings that swag and hits from deep I'd say he's a Houston Rockets style pg and will add cheap price and points off the bench. That's a lot. Daryl and crew seem to have a very deliberate plan, as compared to a lot of franchises out there. Guess I'll I'll bite on Summer League streaming again, especially if it's just 5 bucks again. That was a blast last year.
So true. The highlights vid shows a guy who drills it with very little hesitation, has a strong cross over and is very very deep.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/grading-2013-nba-draft-team-team-210947379.html Houston Rockets Grade: A Haul: Isaiah Canaan. The Houston Rockets did not want to add salary in their chase down of Dwight Howard, and succeeded on staying out of the first round and only taking a flyer on Canaan in the second. At Murray State Canaan developed into a second-team All-American, averaging nearly 22 points a game in his senior year, even though his three-point percentage dropped. If he can regain the touch that saw him shoot well above the 40 percent mark in his first three seasons, the Rockets may have just grabbed a solid bench scorer for the price of a second rounder. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba-draft/news/20130628/nba-draft-2013-team-grades/ B+ Houston Rockets Isaiah Canaan, G, Murray State The Rockets landed a projected first-round pick in Isaiah Canaan, a quick, sharpshooting playmaker who could immediately back up Jeremy Lin. They would have liked to move Thomas Robinson on draft night, but they can do that later. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/28/nba-draft-2013_n_3513890.html Houston Rockets: A The Rockets didn't have a first-round pick and are seriously in the running for Dwight Howard, but I love the Isaiah Canaan pick. He may very well be the best pure shooter in this class, and he led the nation in clutch scoring last season. A 2,000-point scorer at Murray State, he represents solid value in the second. http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130628/SPORTS0102/306280042 ROCKETS: 34. Isaiah Canaan, PG, Murray State -- Jeremy Lin has the contract, but he's not guaranteed to be the Rockets' long-term point guard. Canaan is another small-school player who was dominant in college, especially as a scorer. Grade: B-plus http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20130628/SPORTS03/130628015/Grading-the-NBA-Draft-How-did-the-Pelicans-and-Mavericks-fare- 34. Houston Rockets: PG Isaiah Canaan, Murray State Canaan is the perfect fit for the Rockets, who needed a backup for Jeremy Lin and could use another shooter. Grade: A- http://www.azcentral.com/sports/showusat.php?id=12q2Sbk HOUSTON ROCKETS New face: No. 34 PG Isaiah Canaan The Rockets had one draft selection and made a smart decision with it. Canaan is an ideal backup to Jeremy Lin: smaller, quicker and a better shooter. He easily could have went 10 spots higher. This isn't a home run, but it's the right move for the right team and a good example of making a logical decision. Having only a second-rounder allows Houston to keep cap space open for free agency, too. Grade: A- http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2013/06/nba_draft_2013_grading_all_30.html Houston Rockets With their only pick in the draft, the Rockets selected point guard Isaiah Canaan out of Murray State early in the second round. Canaan was one of the nation’s top scorers last season but was also prone to turning the ball over. He figures to play a role off the bench but has potential to be a big scorer. Since the Rockets expect to be players in the Dwight Howard sweepstakes, a cheap option like Canaan was a safe move to make. Grade: C -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mostly positive grades from around the media. I'm surprised in the write ups that there is so little mention of Patrick Beverly regarding pegging Canaan as a backup point guard.
from the highlights I've seen he seems more like a slasher (ie Mike James), but everybody keeps calling him a shooter...which is good, we need someone to help spread the floor.
Canaan also went to the free throw line a decent amount of time. 6 FT attempts/gm. So maybe its something like the Harden "3's and layups" game. Though Morey himself said his main asset is SHOOTING with no hesistancy (And look who's on the Sports Reference College BB front page right now ) http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/
I think for the 34th pick an A or A- is fair. Canaan was projected in early 20s. He's a bit like a mini-Harden... great outside shooter, with super handles and ability to take it to the basket and draw fouls. His shooting stroke is phenomenal. Up until his senior year he was shooting better than 40% on his 3ptA... many were NBA 3s or deeper. Because he was primary scorer, he'll need work on his passing game. I've watched some of his tape and he appears to miss many open teammates off P/R plays. I can see this being a focus of his education in the Summer League, as well as defensive tenacity. Like most leading scorers, he took plays off on defense and a 6' PG can't do that in the NBA. He's not Chris Paul like, but I like the fact that's who he mentions when he talks about a mentor. He's got a lot of work to do as a playmaker, but as a partner with Harden for stretches, he could be perfect.
