The Rockets still have four extra future first-rounders from the Harden and Tucker trades, Christian Wood, Jae'Sean Tate, Kenyon Martin Jr., Kevin Porte Jr. That’s not a cheap price, though it’s at least possible neither pick conveys as a first-rounder due to the protections. Houston dealt two future first-rounders, albeit heavily protected Pistons and Wizards picks, to the Thunder. Tucker trade with the Bucks in March.Īside from choosing Green over Evan Mobley, acquiring Sengun was the Rockets’ big offseason move. 23 pick came from the Robert Covington trade with the Trail Blazers in November. Houston’s expected draft position entering the lottery was between the No. 2 pick the straightforward way – being terrible then getting a little lucky in the lottery. I like him just fine in the range he was picked.įor what it’s worth, Houston mostly assembled this draft capital before the offseason. 23).Ĭhristopher is more of a wildcard, a powerful athlete with an impressive bag of moves who underperformed at Arizona State last season. 17) higher on my board than their actual draft slots (Nos.
Though Garuba commendably became a positive contributor in Europe’s top league as a teenager, he’s a hustle player rather than someone with an easily projectable high upside. Sengun faces athleticism issues, and unlike Nikola Jokic – a common favorable comp – isn’t particularly large. Sengun (MVP of the top Turkish league at 18) and Garuba (EuroLeague Rising Star at 19) certainly qualify.īut I wasn’t smitten with either. I’m usually a sucker for young players who, regardless of any other concerns, find ways to play productive basketball. His combination of talent and athleticism is tantalizing. Self-created scoring is the NBA’s premium skill, and Green can get buckets attacking the rim or shooting jumpers. An electric scoring guard, he has an upside unsurpassed by anyone in this draft – including No. Already in a four-year playoff drought, the Kings went another eight straight seasons with losing records. Sacramento’s 1990 second-rounder – Bimbo Coles, who was immediately traded – had a better career than any of the team’s first-round picks. After Roy got hurt, Aldridge remained a star while the Trail Blazers ushered in a new era with Damian Lillard. Portland built a winner around Roy and Aldridge. Obviously, those precedents yielded mixed results. Just two other teams had so many first-rounders in a single draft: A team designed to win around Harden made no sense without the superstar.īut Houston is quickly charting a new course, primarily around a record-tying four first-round picks: Harden’s trade request completely derailed the Rockets, who eventually dealt him to the Nets. Prioritizing the present, Houston had the oldest roster weighted for playing time in the 2020 postseason. Less than a year ago, the Rockets were playing in the playoffs. A ‘C’ means a team is in similar standing, with notches up or down from there. NBC Sports’ Dan Feldman is grading every team’s offseason based on where the team stands now relative to its position entering the offseason.
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