Houston Rockets DRAFT Outlook, Going-Big!
Ross with the rock never stops. Yo, uh, the draft is upon us. Workouts are ensuing. Measurables are out. This is an exciting time for me. It’s also the playoffs. It’s also the playoffs. And I know for a lot of us, you know, we might be disappointed that our team is out. I think for a lot of us also, even within the disappointment, the teams that have been knocked out, they’ve had one hell of a year. I can’t think of a a team really that got knocked out in the playoffs that the fan base should feel like they underperformed um didn’t live up to expectations. We all knew it was going to be hard for Houston to get through Golden State, right? Um and they performed admirably taking to a game seven. Detroit played extremely well. Uh showed a lot of flashes. teams like the Boston Celtics, you could be disappointed, but when you have injuries, it’s like, you know, what do you, you know, what do you do about that? Golden State, same thing, right? And so, as we’re going through these playoffs, uh, I know they’re exciting sometimes, you know, we get our, uh, feelings let down and we’re a little disappointed. At the end of the day, the rock never stops, bro. It keeps going because even if your season ended, you got an off season. You got guys who are getting healthy, guys who have uh layers to add to their game. You got free agency. You got the draft. You got uh summer league going into training camp trades that could be made. I told you this summer is going to be absolutely bananas. Kevin Durant, Jiannis and Nakmpo, guys like that moving. You hear names like Devin Booker and Jaylen Brown. And you know, you you you see all the potential fluctuations within the league. the landscape can look completely different next year. On top of the fact that you have teams like Boston who are not going to be in the running because Tatum’s going to be out all year, right? You got the Cleveland Cavaliers trying to figure out what they want to do with that roster considering that they’re in that second apron and they got knocked out in the second round again. Again, right? Shout out to Cleveland. Thought it was JB Bickerstaff’s fault, huh? End up just being if you ain’t got all your horses, you ain’t going to win the race. You got teams like Golden State figuring out how they’re going to retool around Steph. You got Denver. Denver with Michael Porter Jr. What are they going to do with that contract? Because I think he’s just about out. Um, you know, they love his shooting, but you got to be able to do something else other than shooting, right? Because if you’re shooting goals, can you defend? Can you rebound? Can you bring some versatility to this roster? Right? These are all things that they have to consider. And so, I think there’s going to be a lot of fluctuations. So, I hope y’all stay tuned throughout this off season. I’m gonna be doing videos at least probably like every other day. These are interactive lives. So, if you have a comment or a thought, throw it in the live chat. Uh I’m going to do my best to respond to it in real time. If you want me to pause and comment on it, just send me a super chat and we’ll stop and chop it up. With that, I want to dive into this video. The Houston Rockets had a hell of a year. They had a hell of a year. uh second seed in the Western Conference is nothing to smirk at. Getting there is nothing short of uh a tremendous feat for any organization. If you’re a top one two seed in the Western Conference, you were legit. You were legit. For whatever reasons got you there, you were legit. And when it comes to the Houston Rockets is because of their defense. Their defense made them what they were, the number two seed in the Western Conference. the reason why they were able to take Golden State to seven. They just didn’t have enough offensive firepower once they got there. And we’re going to get into that discussion. We’re going to look at this roster and then we’re going to get into the draft because I think they’re going big fish hunting. They’re going for a big dog. They need somebody to reinforce that interior. And I’m going to get to who I think that they’re going to target and different moves that they can make. But let’s start off with this roster. They’ve got offseason uh things to address, namely centered around Fred Van Vleet. Fred Van Vleet uh is a player who has played immensely well. He has outperformed every expectation that they could have had, him and Dylan Brooks, if I’m honest with you. Um and I’m looking at the roster here, so if you see me looking down, it’s to look at the salary cap situation and stuff like that. But Fred Van Vleet and Dylan Brooks were absolutely everything that the Houston Rockets could have wanted for this organization when they brought them in. They absolutely transformed this organization top to bottom along with bringing in uh bringing in Eay Udoka. The three of them have completely changed this franchise around this organization around. First off, they brought toughness. They brought physicality. They brought professionalism. Secondly, and those are all the intangible uh uh veteran type things that guys who have been around in the league understand that this is not just uh something you do for fun. It’s a job. It’s not just something that’s exciting. It’s also how you pay your bills and support your family, right? There’s a certain level of professionalism and dedication and being locked in night in and night out. uh and dedication to your craft that you have when you recognize uh all who are depending upon you showing up each and every day. And so they brought those intangibles. The second thing that they brought was a culture of defense and accountability. Playing with Dylan Brooks, you’re going to have an edge and you’re going to play defense, right? He shifts your whole culture. He’s almost like Patrick Beverly or Draymond Green. He’s one of those guys that when he’s on the court, you can’t help but follow their lead when it comes to defense. you’re going to defend. Drew Holidayiday is another guy like that. But then when you combine that with email and his pedigree and what he has always been about and the accountability that he holds these players too, when you look at guys like a Cam Whitmore, insanely talented, 67, 38, 40inch vertical, can jump out the gym, hit threes, score seemingly at will. and he basically looked him in the eye and said, “If you can’t defend, you’re not getting on this court. Not with me coaching.” Jaylen Green, I know you were the number two pick in the draft for us. If you’re not defending, you’re probably not going to play in these in these fourth quarters. You’re going to see 24 to 26 minutes a game. And then with Fred Van Vleet, the guy who just leads by example. He’s he’s he’s 5’11, six feet on a good day. And yet he’s able to compete with every ounce of a lack of athleticism that he has. He’s no Dennis Schroeder where he’s quick and speedy. He’s not even uh bulky and and strong like a Kyle Lowry. He’s just tough as nails and he competes. And when you have those three, the culture of the team has to follow suit. And they do. They have. And that’s why they’ve gotten to this point where they’re the number three seed, sorry, number two seed in the Western Conference. Now, where do they go from here? This is the question. Fred Van Vleet’s contract is going to get extended. They don’t have a they don’t have a guy in reserve for him. And you dare not mess with this team’s continuity and what he’s been bringing. I know he’s 31 years old, 32 next year. I think he’ll age okay because his game is not predicated upon athleticism. His game’s not predicated upon his pop, his ability to, you know, out jump, outrun somebody. And he’s a dead eyee shooter and tough as nails. He’s got leadership. He knows what to do in high leverage moments. He’s a guy you keep, especially when you have a lot of young guys still on this team. You need that veteran presence. You need someone that this organization is committed to at the helm that you can trust that you can make sure that everyone else is going to fall in line with. So I think he gets extended. I don’t think he gets 40, right? But I think he gets somewhere around 30 for the next three. I think that’s where he’s positioned himself. 30 32 over the next three seasons. All right. But I think that gets done. You got guys like Jan Tate, Jeff Green. Jeff Green could come back on a veteran minimum. I think he likes Houston. I think he’s good to have in the locker room as a mentor and someone who uh keeps this locker room in line. It’s really important to have those guys, especially when you still have, you know, guys who don’t know what direction that they might go, right? Jaylen Green is still trying to get on track, right? He’s still learning. You still have Jabari Smith Jr. learning and figuring it out. You still have Amen Thompson, you know, figuring out, gets a little hotheaded at times. You still have a lot of young guys who are figuring out how to win in this league. You need veterans like Jeff Green. So, I think they bring him back. Jan Tate, I don’t think they bring back. 29 years old, uh, he’s still in his prime. He deserves an opportunity to go someplace where he can get playing time and potentially win. Um, and it’s not going to happen in Houston because you have other guys like Tyrie Een Dylan Brooks who I think gets moved to the bench because I think one of the major moves that you’re going to see take place is Jabari Smith Jr. reinserted into that starting lineup. You’re going to give Ahmed Thompson that defensive uh Swiss Army knife role. And most importantly, this team is now built around Amen Thompson. I think he’s made it clear at this point. He’s the dude. He’s the dude. He’s him. That’s the guy. You were waiting on Jaylen Green to prove he’s the guy. You’re trying to see if Alan Shangon could become the guy. And then Amen Thompson comes in last season, especially in the playoffs, and says, “No, no, I’m the guy. I’m him. I’m the one you’ve been waiting for. I’m the one you’ve been looking out for. I’m him.” And I think that what we see this season is Amen Thompson take that next step. I think he goes in the next season and he’s averaging 17. Uh shoot, I wouldn’t be shocked if it was 177 and seven. I think that they need to give him the ball like OKC gave Russell Westbrook the ball after KD left. Now, I wouldn’t say have his usage that high because I don’t think it needs to be. He has a Jaylen Green, a Fred Van Vleet, Alper and Shangon. He can spread the ball around, but he needs to be the focal point, the emphasis of this team on both ends. Almost like Andre Iguadala when he was with uh Philly right after AI left, right? That’s who Ahmed Thompson needs to be next season. You’re leading us on both ends. And it’s funny because I don’t I can’t remember somebody that we’ve ever seen play that type of role. Maybe Scottie Pippen after Michael Jordan left. I think that’s Ahmed Thompson’s role moving in next season, which means that he’s going to need to have shooting. And I think you position Jaylen Green, Fred Van Vleet, Jabari Smith Jr. And I even think Alpert and Shangon improves that three-point shot. I think he comes in the next year, pick and pop. He can do that all day. Do that all day. I think he gets up somewhere close to let me see where he actually ended the season. Um Shenon ended the season from three he averaged so 29% from three last year. The year before that 33 and this past year 23%. So that’s that’s a little rough but I think that he does improve that. I think it gets over 30% this year. I think he takes more of those shots because you want to open up the paint for Ahmed Thompson uh and Jabari Smith Jr. I think he hits some more corner threes, but I think that that’s going to be a challenge for um EMoka to scheme around. How do we uh move Alper and Shangon more to the perimeter so that bigs can’t clog the paint especially when you need Amen Thompson to get downhill. All that said, that’s schemes and things I think that we will see next season. Now, the fun part, the fun part, the draft. I do believe in Reed Shepard still. I think Reed Shepard is going to be solid for them next year. I wouldn’t be shocked if they brought back Aaron Holidayiday. He has a team option for next year for 4 million. I think that’s cake. I think that that’s cake. He did a great job defending, doing a little bit of shot creating, knocking down threes. He gets hot every once in a while. Um, what’s good, man? What’s good, calm guy? The Rockets got to get off Jeff Green. Oh, you mean Jaylen Green or Jeff Green? Jaylen Green or Jeff Green because there two Greens on the team. I’m assuming you mean Jaylen. But if you followed the last video that I did, and I think I’m going to add it to this when I uh post it. Um, I think Jaylen Green works for the Houston Rockets. If they relinquish and say Aman Thompson is our guy, if they say Amen Thompson is our guy and everything is going to revolve around him, make Jaylen Green more of a movement shooter along with Fred Van Vleet. Spacing, looking to attack, close outs, catch and shoot, coming off of dribble handoffs. Um, and then you have Jabari Smith Jr. and these other guys shooting. I think that roster makes sense because Jaylen Green, let’s be clear, he’s not making absurd money. He’s going to be making 33 million a year next year. That’s not a lot for a starting level shooting guard that has a lot of potential. I think that’s solid. That’s great. And because of his age at only 23 years old, I think he’s going to continue to get better. He’s going to become more consistent. He’s still going to be streaky. I don’t think Jaylen Green ever becomes ultra efficient, right? Almost like a poor man’s Ray Allen. Um I don’t think that he is ever going to be that level of efficient shooter, but he’s going to have more and more as he gets older more bigger nights than not. He’s just also going to have a lower floor where some nights he’s only going to have eight points with about one or two rebounds, maybe an assist, you know, and it’s going to look rough, but I think that they can get away with that when they have these other guys like Reed Shepard, uh, Fred Van Vleet, um, and even my man Cam Whitmore who’s only 20 years old, still under contract for the next couple seasons. I think he moves into an active role next season. I think he becomes the next man up behind Jaylen Green. I think it’s going to be his position to fight for to lose. Uh Dylan Brooks, Tari E are going to be the backup 3, four, and then you get to the five position. The five position. Right now you still have Jo Londale who’s 29 years old under contract for the next couple seasons team option in 2627. Stephen Adams, I think he’s gone at 12 million. I would love to bring him back. I would love to bring him back. He did so much for this team. But I think there’s an opportunity in this draft for them to pivot. There’s an opportunity in this draft for them to pivot. And this is what I wanted to get to. I think they’re going big. And when I say big, they’re going big big. And when I say big, big, don’t be shocked if they try to move up in this draft. Don’t be shocked if the Houston Rockets try to move up. We all know 76ers at the number three pick don’t want that pick. Not just because anybody they get at number three is not going to be a contributor for a championship contending team. um they’re not going to be ready to play behind Joel Embiid, uh Paul George, Tyrese Maxi, Jared McCain, even these veterans. They’re just not going to be contributors. Secondly, they’re so far into that second apron. Um I think uh $10 million contract for a rookie that’s going to cost them maybe $40, $50 million in taxes, it’s just not worth it for them. I think I wouldn’t be shocked if they look at the Houston Rockets and be like, “Look, if you give us Stephen Adams signing trade, give us Stephen Adams insurance cuz we need a center. We need a big that we can play and you give us maybe a future pick. Give us give us a future first round pick, maybe two. We’ll give you the number three pick and I think it would be worth it for the Houston Rockets.” Now, this is just the first uh prognosis for them in the draft. Move up. The guy who I want them to target is common mileage. I think he’s built for what this team does and needs. They need a center who can defend the rim. They need size on the interior. And I mean real size. Malawatch is 7 foot2, 260 lbs, 7 foot6 wingspan, light on his feet, extremely mobile. Two things he can do. finish inside, block shots, and rebound. That’s three things. 260 pounds. He’s got the physical strength. Now, here’s the thing. I like that they still have Jollandale that they’ll likely hopefully bring back Jeff Green because these guys can also be mentors for a young promising big man. Help him with his transition into the NBA. teach him all the little tricks of the trade, how to establish uh um post position, how to uh you know score against smaller guys, wings, you know, the NBA might try to defend you in different ways, but I think what he does is he gives them an anchor for the future and some flexibility, especially if they don’t resign Jabari Smith Jr. this off seasonason. Um, I think that they will need to have some insurance, but the fact that Kamet Malawatch has also shown that he has a three-point shooting touch that he showed last summer in the Olympics. Didn’t didn’t get a chance to show it at Duke. I always say college tends to limit players um opportunity to show what they can do because they’re trying to play to their strengths to win. I get it. That’s why I used to like the I like the G- League Ignite team because they actually let them try it out, get better. uh explore their game even if it costs wins. They knew that the purpose was development, not so much in college. All that’s to say is I think common Malawatch would be a crown jewel for the Houston Rockets in this draft. If they were to come away with Malawatch, I think they have a big rotation between Malawatch, Shangon, Jabari Smith Jr. that they can now go toe-to-toe with any front court. They already compete well with most front courts, but we see when the game slows down and you need size They needed Steven Adams. And when I say size, I mean that can take the grind of the physicality of that interior play, having to deal with guys coming at your neck at the rim, trying to dunk on you, trying to get past you. You need multiple bigs, especially when you think about going after teams like Denver, right? Right? When you’re going after teams like Minnesota, when you’re going after teams like, shoot, even the Golden State Warriors, you’re going to need multiple bigs, you’re going to need sevenfooters. And I think that he would just be the most amazing pick for the Houston Rockets. But if they don’t move up to get Mod Watch because he’s not falling, he’s not falling past Toronto at nine. He might even be picked up at 8 by uh Brooklyn. Shoot, he might even go six to uh Washington. They might want to play Alexar at the four. I wouldn’t be shocked. So, he can go anywhere between the six to nine. He’s not going to last to 10, but there are some other prospects. I don’t think that Derek Queen is an option for them because he’s redundant when it comes to him and Alfred and Shangle. But then you have other prospects. You have Asa Newell. You have my guy Thomas Sorber and then quietest kept young man by the name of Maxim Rayod. Those are the three. Those are the three. Yan Behringer, I think he falls. He’s just really raw. If I’m honest with you, uh Asa Newell, I think he’s going to drop in this draft. I’m not too excited about him. I think he’s a tweener. He’s Derek Lively, just not as tall, not as long, which means he’s more limited. I think he’s going to be a solid role playing big for a long time. I just don’t think he’s a starter. And I don’t I don’t think he ever has a chance to really be better than Shangon or Jabari Smith Jr. He’s not going to shoot as well as Jabari. Doesn’t score as well inside as Shangon. um good defender but not necessarily better than either. So I think he’s a solid pickup but not as high as number 10. Where I see them going is with either Thomas Sorber or Maxim Rainard. And I’m going to give you a quick rundown of each. Thomas Sorber is going to remind you a lot of Wendell Carter Jr. a lot. A lot. 69.25 without shoes. So he’s a solid 610 610 and a half center. 260 lbs. He’s got meat on him. He’s going to be able to play physical. He’s going to be able to bang. And that is his play style. 7 foot6 wingspan. 7 foot6 wingspan. He is a legitimate rim protector. Thomas Sorber is somebody that right now you can plug as a backup center, potentially a future starting center. Someone gets injured, plug and play. He’s going to be able to defend, rebound, score on the interior. Jump hook over both shoulders. Good touch around the rim. He even has shown a jump shot out to about 16 to 18 ft. I would not be shocked if he doesn’t extend that three-point shot similar to how Wendell Carter Jr. has. I think he has great long-term potential. He is a future 10 to 15 year career veteran player. Especially if he’s able to knock on wood, you know, uh not have any injuries and things of that nature as Wendell Carter Jr. has. I think if Wendell Carter Jr. doesn’t have the injuries, I think he’s already an all-star. I I compared him a lot to Al Horford in terms of his defensive um awareness potential, rebounding, um scoring, like he just had all those intangibles. He did did a lot of things for you. So, I think he’s an excellent pickup. He’s He’s safe, high floor, and has a really decent ceiling. And then there’s Maxim Rayard. Maxim Rayard is a 7 foot. He’s a little bit over seven foot 71 7 feet without shoes. So, 71, but he only has about a 71 and a half wingspan. All right. We call that a 00 wingspan. Same wingspan as your height. So, you’re not really gaining anything too much extra. He’s not going to be a great rim protector, even though he blocked a shot a game uh at Stanford last year, but staying all four years has prepared him in a way that I think for many times we underestimate when it comes to coming into the NBA. When you play all four years in college like Maxim Rayard has, you come in with a level of confidence in your game, within your body, within playing within a system, and you’ve had the experience of being a leader, a captain, right? Being the best, being the man, right? So, your body remembers being the man. You’re going to do certain things instinctually because you understand this is just how it’s done. I get this ball, you overplay. This is a spin back to the over the right shoulder and I’m finishing with the left, right? Or or uh you know, I got a small on me. I bury him deep. Give me the ball. You know, crab dribble or I go right over the top. Jump hook, right? I’m I’m trying to find a pass, you know, trying to do a dribble handoff. It’s taken away. I turn it face up. I got space. I’m taking a jump shot. Right? these things that are second nature because for the last two years you’ve been the man. Your body remembers how to be the man. It doesn’t ever forget. And so that not only creates a high floor for him, but it also allows him to be somebody who can be trusted in his game. He’s not going to do something way out of his game. You’re not even looking to necessarily develop him. You’re just looking for him to adjust to the speed and stuff like that and coverages, but you know what you’re going to get from him and you can have confidence in And I think that that bodess well for someone someone like Emma Udoka who’s the type of coach that really he’s not trying to develop if we’re honest. He’s not a developmental coach. He’s not a Kenny Atinson. He’s not a JB staff. He’s not a, you know, hey, let’s see what we can do with you. He’s a guy I need you to hit the ground running. If you can’t figure it out, go to the G-League. Go to the G- League. Maxim Rayard uh started playing basketball later in his career. Um later in his development uh he he was a swimmer for a long time which allowed his body to develop differently. He credits a lot of his fluidity running the court and movement on on the court to swimming for so long. And then he began to play basketball and develop. And so he still has a lot of growth. He still has an ability to continue to improve his game. but it’s to say that he moves extremely well for a seven-footer, which allows you to play him on the perimeter as well as the interior. He doesn’t shy away from contact. He’s a seven-footer that doesn’t mind banging. At the same time, he has a nice three-point shot. When I look at his stats, let me pull him up real quick. Maxim Rainard, he shot I want to say, pull up his stats here. He shot 30 basically 35% from three last season. Grabbed 10 and a half rebounds. Didn’t get a lot of assists. Not much of a passer, but he was able to defend the rim. One and a half blocks. How do you feel about Cam Whitmore getting traded to the Pistons? No. Cam Whitmore is not a Detroit Piston player. He’s just not. Uh he doesn’t he doesn’t rebound. He doesn’t defend. Um he likes to just score and shoot. Uh He reminds me of um N actually I mean he’s hard those guys really don’t stick a lot hypothetically would he fit I mean who are you going to play him over Ron Holland because that’s whose minutes Cam Whitmore would take if he came to Detroit he would take Ron Holland’s minutes. Is that what you want? Because to me Ron Holland does a lot more for you. Plays defense. He’s going to rebound. Shown he could playmake a little bit. Great in transition. Not as much of a shooter. Cam Whitmore far better shooter. No rebounding, no defense, and no playmaking for others. Very streaky, too. I think he stays put in Houston. I think he becomes their de facto backup shooting guard. Becomes like number nine 10 in that rotation. That’s that’s that’s what I would foresee for Cam Whitmore. But he has a lot to prove. He has a lot to prove. The NBA isn’t about guys who just want to shoot. If you want to be a catch and shoot guy, that’s fine. But even Ben Shepard, who’s a bench rotation number nine 10 on on a playoff Western Conference, Eastern Conference Finals Pacers team plays defense. Even he plays defense. He’s a dog on defense. He gets he puts his nose in there. Cam Whitmore has to prove that. Um, but to wrap up this video, I think that they go with one of those two, one of those three centers. Either they move up to get common Malawatch. Either the Houston Rockets move up to get common Malawatch, or they stay put and draft either Thomas Sorber or Maxim Rayard. Guys who are versatile in their skill set, can defend the rim, have legitimate size and toughness, um, and guys that they can plug in in that Steven Adams role. But as always, it’s your man 100 Grand. If you enjoyed this video, smash the like button for me. Hit subscribe and the bell for notifications. I’m going to keep posting videos. This is going to be an exciting off seasonason. The draft is coming up. Uh after the draft, we got free agency. We’re going to have trades. We’re going to have uh a summer league. I’m going to try to get down to Vegas for the summer league. It should be a dope off seasonason. I hope you stay tuned with me. I’m looking forward to seeing you in my lives and in the chats. I appreciate all who showed up today. Get at y’all next time. Peace.
