Rockets Sign Jordan Henriquez Jul 16, 2013 5:24 PM EDT Jordan Henriquez has signed with the Houston Rockets. Henriquez was previously on the Rockets' Summer League roster and has averaged 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game. Henriquez is a 6-11 center out of Kansas State that went undrafted. From Draft Express <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/biDT_C9BIFE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Kyle Nelson Jordan Henriquez struggled with inconsistency for much of his junior season and did himself few favors when he was suspended for “conduct detrimental to the team”. Yet, he filled Kansas State's void in the middle, helped the Wildcats make a brief run in the NCAA Tournament, and really took a step forward in his development. The question now is whether Jordan Henriquez can take the next step, building on his late season emergence, to convince scouts that he is a legitimate prospect. Though Henriquez stands around 7'0 with very long arms and a frame that still looks skinny at 250-pounds, he struggles to hold his own against centers at the NCAA level and must continue to get stronger. This development is particularly important given that he's only an above-average athlete for his size. Henriquez lacks elite explosiveness and quickness in the open floor to compensate for his lack of strength. Improving his physique could help him maximize his athleticism, but it is remains to be seen how much he can continue to develop physically and athletically given that he is already 23-years-old. On the offensive end of the floor, Henriquez was one of the least productive scores among centers in our database. While he made major strides in his shooting efficiency, he scored just 7.6 points per game in just over 20 minutes per game and took less than 10% of Kansas State's shots. Henriquez finds most of his attempts around the basket, usually off of cuts and while posting up. While he looks solid by the numbers at 54.4% 2FG, he doesn't appear to have the greatest hands and sometimes struggles to power through big and athletic post defenders to finish in traffic. Additionally, he struggles to carve out space on the block against more aggressive defenders and doesn't have much in the way of post moves. He does do a good job, however, hustling hard on the offensive boards and cleaning up missed shots. He could improve even further in this area if he relied less upon his physical gifts and worked more on his fundamentals. In fact, he's a good rebounder across the board, despite his relative lack of fundamentals, measuring quite well among returning centers in our database. One area in which Henriquez has thus far been underwhelming, but nonetheless shows potential to improve is with his spot-up shooting. Henriquez attempted around 20 jump shots last year, primarily in a catch-and-shoot capacity, with mixed success and inconsistent mechanics. His 55.6% FT, long arms, and advanced age suggest that he may not have great potential at this stage, but scouts will be watching nonetheless to see if he can correct his mechanics and become simultaneously more comfortable and prolific. Though his skinny frame and underwhelming hands are not ideal, he nonetheless has solid mobility and awareness to succeed as a finisher in the pick and roll. Given Kansas State's relative dearth of true point guards and his low skill level, Henriquez has not been used in this capacity that much, but it's worth noting that his past successes and potential emergence as a spot-up shooter could allow him to develop further in this area in the future. On defense, Henriquez solidified his reputation as one of the nation's premier-returning shot blockers. His combination of length, size, and athleticism allow him to contest shots on the weak-side, while trailing, and even one-on-one around the basket. Unfortunately, his lack of bulk ultimately prevents him from being a dominant defender at this level, as he simply cannot always hold his own in the post despite what looks to be solid effort and focus. It remains to be seen whether he can defend the pick-and-roll and perimeter oriented big men at the next level, however, as he lacks standout lateral quickness and struggles to close out on shooters. Jordan Henriquez has a lot of work to do to legitimize his draft stock. While he has a few intriguing skills relative to his size, potential on the defensive end, and a long frame that should be able to add more bulk; he is a 23-year-old big man who is still lacking much in the way of skills and awareness, as reflected by his 3.1 turnovers per game average and foul proneness. With this in mind, Henriquez will have to prove that he's the answer to Kansas State's inside scoring woes while showing improvement and growth across the board if he hopes to secure a spot at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.
