Houston Rockets: Did they hit the jackpot in the NBA Draft?
The Houston Rockets have to be feeling pretty good about their future.
I’m not sure if he’s going to be the next great scorer in the league, but at least through a couple of games in the NBA’s Summer League, the Houston Rockets appear to have hit a home run with the second overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
It’s only Summer League, but Jalen Green looks like the real deal.
Through two games in the Las Vegas Summer League, Green is averaging 24 points and five rebounds on 52 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from 3-point range. Early indications are that he was a worthy No. 2 overall pick for the Rockets and he’s just getting started.
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During the pre-draft process, there was still no guarantee that Green would be a top 3 pick. It wasn’t until later in the process that he rose up draft boards – specifically, Houston’s.
In fact, even up until draft night, there were many that believed the Rockets were making a mistake by passing Evan Mobley and selecting Green. Even though Mobley is expected to be a great player in this league – as he’s drawn comparisons to both Chris Bosh and Anthony Davis – you can’t really argue with how Green has looked in Summer League.
The Houston Rockets might have three draft gems
At least from Houston’s perspective, you can actually take it a step further as well. It’s not only Green that has looked great through thus far. The Rockets’ two other first-round draft picks have looked impressive too.
Josh Christopher has been impressive on the defensive end (and went somewhat viral on Twitter after stopping Cade Cunningham in his tracks) and has also shown improvement on the offensive end. Through two games, Christopher is averaging 14 points and 5.5 assists on 41 percent shooting from the field.
https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1425281291788840964
Alperen Sengun has also had his impressive moments with the Rockets’ Summer League team in which he’s averaged 18 points and 11.5 rebounds per game on 46 percent shooting from the field. He also managed to show off his range in the process as well.
It’s fair to suggest slowing our roll. However, even after just two games, you can’t help but feel great for the Rockets and their fans. This is a team that had to endure a difficult James Harden departure and one of the worst seasons in franchise history.
It might be a bit premature to say that the Rockets may have three foundational pieces on their roster but you have to like what the early returns have been for this team.
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Hopefully, their young core will continue to grow and develop over the course of the offseason. If so, this team is going to be one of the best watches in the league next season. And, perhaps, not too far after that, one of the brightest young teams in the Western Conference.