Houston Rockets: 5 options for pick No. 43 in 2017 NBA Draft
Houston Rockets
Mar 25, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason III (0) drives around Oregon Ducks guard Tyler Dorsey (5) during the first half in the finals of the Midwest Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Rockets hold a pair of second round picks in the 2017 NBA Draft, with their earliest pick coming at No. 43.
The Houston Rockets have had recent success drafting in the second round. They have selected NBA rotation players such as Montrezl Harrell, Isaiah Canaan and Chandler Parsons.
If the Rockets want to take the next step in the tough Western Conference, they should hope that trend continues in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Houston doesn't hold a first round pick as they sent it to the Los Angeles Lakers, along with Corey Brewer, in exchange for Lou Williams.
The Rockets are picking at No. 43 after a trade with the Denver Nuggets during the summer of 2015. Houston received Denver's second round pick, along with Ty Lawson, in exchange for a plethora of assets including Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson, Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni, Houston's lottery-protected 2016 first round pick and cash considerations.
The trade turned out to be a dud for Daryl Morey, as Lawson didn't even last the whole season in Houston. He played 53 games and averaged 5.8 points and 3.4 assists per game.
Lawson was waived by the Houston Rockets on March 1 and signed with the Indiana Pacers six days later.
Getting back to the 43rd pick in this year's draft, the Rockets will have a few intriguing prospects to choose from in the second round. One interesting choice they have is to draft a player who won't come over to the NBA right away. This will allow the Rockets to save some money and attempt to sign a big-name free agent with their remaining cap space.
If the Rockets do choose to draft a player who is likely to play in the NBA this season, they can use the extra roster spots created by the CBA this year.
Overall, the Rockets have multiple options at 43rd overall, depending on which direction they want to go.
2017 NCAA Tournament: 5 Players To Watch For In East Region
Mar 11, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Villanova Wildcats guard Josh Hart (3) watches his shot during the first half of the Big East Conference Tournament final game against the Creighton Bluejays at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
5. Josh Hart, SG, Villanova
Josh Hart is another four-year collegiate player. He won the Big East Player of the Year award last season by averaging 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
The rebounding numbers aren't a fluke either, as he averaged 6.8 boards per game the year before. It's also what sticks out the most about his game, especially for a 6'5″ guard.
Hart has a more well-rounded game than some other players in the second round but doesn't have nearly the same ball-handling abilities. His moves are very predictable and easily defended as he lacks elite quickness and burst.
That average athleticism also translates to him not being able to create enough space to get his shot off. Hart will really rely on his teammates for open shots at the NBA level, which is okay as long as he is able to translate his ugly shot into results like he did at Villanova. Hart shot 38.9 percent from the three-point line from his career, including 40.4 percent last season.
Hart is also an intelligent player and will do all the small things that win basketball games. This is invaluable, especially for a second round pick.
Hart was a main cog in Villanova's championship run in 2016. They looked poised for a repeat until they ran into my Wisconsin Badgers in the tournament, as they were a 1-seed this year.
In the end, it will be Hart's shooting motion that will determine his fate in the NBA. The Ringer describes his shot as "looks like he's heaving a medicine ball and shoots on the way down." If Hart can correct that, he will be a great complement to the Houston Rockets.
Jan 21, 2017; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Edrice Bam Adebayo (3) shoots the ball against South Carolina Gamecocks guard Duane Notice (10) in the second half at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated South Carolina 85-69. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
4. Bam Adebayo, PF/C, Kentucky
Edrice Adebayo, or Bam as he is most commonly known, entered the draft after one season at Kentucky and is projected as a second round pick.
Most people question Adebayo's decision to enter the draft considering he isn't likely to be a first-rounder. You can count me as one of those critics as well.
Bam stands 6'10" with a 7'3″ wingspan and a 9'0″ standing reach. Those are impressive numbers for the big man and he will need every inch of it.
Adebayo is most likely to be an energy guy off the bench but may take a couple of seasons to develop. Most scouts see him as a project who is a great leaper and can run the floor well. He is also agile for a big man and can move well laterally.
If he receives the right coaching and learns the fundamentals, he will be able to turn his athletic gifts into production.
Adebayo will never be a good shooter as he shot only 65.3 percent from the free throw line. However, he can become a high-percentage scorer by staying in and around the lane. According to Chart Side, Adebayo took 247 of his 284 shots last year from in or around the restricted area.
The soon to be 20-year-old averaged 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 60 percent from the floor during his only season at Kentucky.
The Ringer compares Adebayo to Bismack Biyombo and Montrezl Harrell, which could be good news for the Rockets.
Mar 25, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Tyler Dorsey (5) speaks at a press conference after the game against the Kansas Jayhawks in the finals of the Midwest Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Oregon defeated Kansas 74-60. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
3. Tyler Dorsey, SG, Oregon
Tyler Dorsey is another guard on this list who can get hot in a hurry. He's a prolific outside scorer as he made 41.6 percent of his threes throughout his career, including 42.3 percent last year.
Outside of increasing his shooting percentage, Dorsey wasn't able to improve his game in other areas during his sophomore season as his rebounds and assists went down.
Despite that, the main thing for Dorsey, a scorer, is that he took more shots and made a higher percentage than his freshman campaign. He showed that he can use his excellent speed to get himself open on the perimeter and pull up where ever and whenever he wants.
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At 6-foot-5, his wingspan matches his height. That is never a good thing, especially for an undersized shooting guard. Dorsey will have to rely on that top class speed and quickness in order to make a name for himself in the NBA.
Dorsey appears to have learned how to use his speed advantage without going full out on every possession. He does a nice job of mixing up angles and using his hesitation dribble to make it tough on defenders.
He isn't the greatest passer in the game, which means that he will have to mostly play shooting guard at the NBA level.
His lack of a wingspan will also hurt him as the NBA is becoming more and more obsessed with length, and for good reason. Length can be very disruptive and make life difficult for offensive players, especially ball-handlers. That will minimize the impact he can have on the defensive end of the court.
Mar 25, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason (0) shoots over Oregon Ducks guard Casey Benson (2) during the first half in the finals of the Midwest Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Oregon defeated Kansas 74-60. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
2. Frank Mason, PG, Kansas
Frank Mason, the 2016-17 AP Player of the Year and Big 12 Player of the Year, is a surefire second-rounder come June 22.
That may be great news for the Houston Rockets, because they don't own a first round pick this year. If a player like Mason is to fall to them, they will end up with an absolute steal.
Mason is a great outside shooter and showed consistent improvement during his four years at Kansas. He shot 32.7 percent from behind the arc his freshman year and was able to improve that to a scorching 47.1 percent this past season.
That three-point shooting will be key as Houston loves to spread the floor with shooters who can knock down an open or semi-contested shot.
That's important because Mason's passing is not up to par. He lacks NBA level passing vision and doesn't always make the right pass at the right time. Even if he does find an open man, his passes aren't always on target.
On defense, Mason is a scrappy defender who always gives 100 percent. This is important because at 6'0″ with a 6'3″ wingspan, he is undersized and lacks elite athleticism to stay with quicker or bigger point guards.
Mason's age is another reason that he will likely fall to the second round. He is already 23 years old and will be one of the oldest players in this year's draft class.
With today's infatuation on teenagers with lots of upside, Mason will certainly fall close to the Rockets 43rd pick, making him a potential steal.
1. Anzejs Pasecniks, C, Latvia
Anzejs Pasecnikis is an intriguing prospect in this year's draft. His stock appears to be all over the place. FanSided's own The Step Back has Pasecniks as 16th on their big board, DraftExpress projects him to fall to the 29th pick and The Ringer mock drafts him to go 36th overall.
Based on those projections you may think that the Houston Rockets have no chance at him. You may be right. Or you may be wrong.
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Whenever it comes to overseas players who aren't likely to come to the NBA right away, the projections can vary greatly. If he does fall to the Rockets with the 43rd pick, he would be a complete steal.
Pasecniks stands 7'2″ and is extremely mobile for somebody his size. He does a great job of catching passes in traffic and can finish in the paint.
He has potential to be able to extend his shot to the three-point line someday as he can already shoot midrange jumpers. A 7'2″ center who can shoot threes would be Daryl Morey's dream come true.
He can also put the ball on the floor and has some driving ability with either hand.
Defense is where Pasecniks has a lot of work to do. He has poor fundamentals on that end of the floor and can stand to learn a lot about how to play team defense. He's also not a very good rim protector as he lacks length and explosiveness. Most of his defensive ability inside will come from drawing charges rather than sending back shots.
At the end of the day, the Rockets will count themselves lucky if they end up landing Anzejs Pasecniks.
Overall, the Houston Rockets will be lucky to land any of these five prospects as they each bring their own intriguing mix of talent and skills to the hardwood.
