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Houston Rockets: A look back at NBA Draft history before 2017
Before the Houston Rockets make two more selections in the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft, let's take a look back at some of the team's draft history.
In the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets have the 43rd and 45th picks in the second round. As a result of the Lou Williams trade, the Rockets will not make a first round selection for the second year in a row.
However, don't put it past Daryl Morey to scout and eventually draft a quality player in one of those two second round picks. In recent years, Morey and the Rockets have had relative success drafting in the latter stages of the first round and early stages of the second round.
Overall though, the Rockets haven't exactly hit it out of the park in recent years when it comes to the draft. In this piece let's take a look back at some recent draft selections from the Rockets.
Recent first round picks
Since (and including) the 2010 Draft, the Rockets have had eight first round picks. In chronological order, those selections were:
** Shortly after the draft, Mirotic was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with Brad Miller in exchange for Johnny Flynn and Donatas Motiejunas.
Even though most of their first round picks in the past seven years have been in the mid-teens, the Rockets haven't found a true gem in their selections. However, Houston has drafted players that have gone on to have solid careers in the NBA such as Patterson and Morris.
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In recent years, the Rockets look to have drafted two quality players, headlined by Capela. Capela has progressed rapidly, and allowed the Rockets to confidently let Dwight Howard walk last summer. This season, Capela averaged 12.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game in just 24 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, after playing just six minutes in his rookie season, Dekker bounced back to play 18 minutes per game in 77 games this past season. Per 36 minutes, Dekker averaged 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. There are hopes within the organization that Dekker can become the starting small forward in the next year or two, but unless he improves his three-point shooting (32.1 percent this season), it looks like Dekker will be slated as a backup power forward.
Looking at the other first round selections, Royce White was the only true "bust," but there were several off the court struggles that led to him ultimately not playing for the Rockets.
Jeremy Lamb's biggest contribution to the Rockets was being included in the trade that brought James Harden to Houston. However, Lamb has carved out a solid career as a bench scorer.
Terrence Jones played for the Rockets for four seasons and showed flashes of good play on both ends of the floor. However, he was never able to consistently put it together and often shied away from big moments. Overall, for the most part the Rockets have found and drafted solid role players in their recent first round selections.
Recent second round picks
In the same time frame (since and including the 2010 NBA Draft), the Rockets have made seven second round selections. In chronological order, those picks were:
** Aldemir never played for the Rockets and was ultimately traded to the 76ers in 2013.
Obviously the real gem of these selections is Chandler Parsons, who developed in to a very good starter in his three seasons in Houston. In his best season (2013-14), Parsons averaged 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Ultimately, Parsons was able play his way in to two huge contracts from the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies in recent years.
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The second best selection of that group is certainly Harrell, who averaged 17.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game per 36 minutes this season. Harrell impressed this past season with his athleticism and energy, leading many to believe he could be the backup center for years to come.
Canaan has stuck around on the benches of several NBA teams, which is better than a lot of other second round picks do. Nick Johnson appeared in 28 games for the Rockets during his rookie season, but is now out of the league.
Finally, the jury is still out on Onuaku and Zhou Qi. Onuaku appeared in 52 minutes this season and is best known for his underhand, granny style free throw shot. Qi is apparently slated to join the team next season, but still lacks the weight and experience to make a serious impact. However, in the long run both could play key roles for Houston.
In the end, the Rockets have had moderate success in the draft in both rounds. Houston (and Daryl Morey) is accustomed to making second round selections, so it will be interesting to see what they do with their upcoming 43rd and 45th picks in the 2017 NBA Draft.
