Houston Rockets: NBA Draft Preview

With the 2013 NBA Draft right around the corner, NBA teams are scouring over scouting reports in order to find the players that can add value to their team for the 2013-14 season.

For the Houston Rockets, the upcoming draft poses a few particularly interesting options that go beyond players they might select.

Currently, the Houston Rockets possess one draft pick, the 34th overall selection, in the second round.

Before we get into whom the Rockets might select with this pick, let’s address a story that’s come up in the past few days and carries with it interesting implications that extend into their free agency aspirations.

It’s no secret that the Houston Rockets are interested in Dwight Howard and are considered front-runners to sign him in free agency. They’ve already been fined once for tampering and in a recent interview, Chandler Parsons did everything he could to bait the NBA into doling out yet another fine.

For the Rockets to have the cap space to offer Dwight the max contract, however, they’re going to need to free up a bit more cap space.

In an effort to do so, the Rockets began to shop Thomas Robinson and it’s been reported that in return they have been offered a first-round draft pick.

Now, this presents an interesting scenario for the Rockets. Per the collective bargaining agreement, “unsigned first round picks are included in team salary immediately upon their selection in the draft. They count as 100% of the scale salary for that pick…” However, “an unsigned first round pick is removed from team salary if the team and player both agree in writing not to sign any contract through the following June 30th.”

Here’s what that means in layman’s terms. If the Rockets were to receive a first-round pick in order to relieve themselves of Robinson’s $3.53 million contract, the only way that cap relief can have maximal effect is if they were to use that draft pick on an international player who would agree to staying overseas one more year in order to avoid his contract being added to the Rockets salary.

It’s still unclear as to where, in the first round, the draft pick would be, so it’s virtually impossible to guess whom the Rockets would use the pick on. It could come from someone like the Boston Celtics, drafting 16th, who are looking to rebuild and may find value in Robinson who’s considered to have a lot of potential.

Whatever spot the pick is, it’s almost certain that the Rockets will not use it on a player that they would be required to sign to a first-round contract because the sole reason behind trading away Robinson is to free up as much cap space as possible.

The first round is projected to see international players like Dennis Schroeder (Germany), Rudy Gobert (France) and Sergey Karasev (Russia) drafted and Morey is known for finding valuable international players.

With that, let’s take a look at whom the Rockets might select with their 34th overall pick. Unlike first-round picks, “unsigned second round picks are not included in the team salary,” which means that the Rockets can use this draft pick without fear of limiting their cap space.

CBSSports.com mock draft projects that the Rockets will use their pick to select either Tim Hardaway Jr., a shooting guard out of Michigan, or Myck Kabongo, a point guard out of the University of Texas.

Tim Hardaway Jr.

Predraft Measurements: 21 years old, 6’6.25” (with shoes), 199 lbs, 6’7” wingspan, 31.5” no step vertical, 37.5” max vertical.

Courtesy of Draftexpress.com

Hardaway Jr. was a member of the Wolverines team that went 31-8 and made it to the national championship game, eventually losing to Louisville.

In his junior season, Hardaway averaged 14.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 43 percent from the field. On the other hand, his 3-point shot was a bit more dicey, 35.8 percent, and his free-throw percentage wasn’t exceptional either at 69.5 percent.

One of the big question marks for Hardaway is his offensive consistency.

Courtesy of Draftexpress.com

Hardaway’s athleticism and ability to run the floor would make him a nice addition to a Rockets offense that emphasizes getting out on fastbreaks and scoring in transition, and he is quite capable of playing above the rim.

On the defensive end of the ball, Hardaway won’t block many shots, or cause a lot turnovers, due to his lack of length, but his quickness and focus gives him the ability deny dribble penetration, preventing his man from getting to the rim. On a Houston team that, at times, seemed as if they’d forgotten all defensive fundamentals, this could make him a very valuable addition.

Myck Kabongo

Predraft Measurements: 21 years old, 6’2.75” (with shoes), 180lbs, 6’6.25” wingspan, 27.5 no step vertical, 33.5 max vertical.

Courtesy of Draftexpress.com

If you follow high school basketball at all, the name Myck Kabongo should be relatively familiar to you. Kabongo was a McDonald’s All-American as a point guard for Findlay Prep and went on to play at the University of Texas.

As a freshman at UT, Kabongo averaged 9.6 points, 5.2 assists, three rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. In his sophomore year at UT, however, Kabongo only played 11 games due to an NCAA suspension. In those 11 games, Kabongo averaged 14.6 points, 5.5 assists, five rebounds and two steals per game, while shooting 42 percent from the field and 79 percent from the free-throw line.

While a decent scorer, Kabongo is considered to be a pass-first point guard. According to Draft Express, Kabongo’s 6.7 assists per 40 minutes per pace adjusted placed him first among the freshman in their top 100 database.

Kabongo’s quickness allows him to get past his man and to the rim, relatively adeptly, however his lack of height, explosion and strength limits his ability to score once he gets into the paint. On the other hand, his court vision and passing ability make him an excellent passer once he’s inside, allowing him to find cutting big men who can finish at the rim.

As a defender, Kabongo displayed excellent quickness and a solid ability to move his feet, allowing him to stay in front of his man. He’s an aggressive defender, which sometimes leads to bad fouls away from the basket, but the Rockets would probably benefit more from this kind of defensive point guard than one who didn’t play defense at all, a la Jeremy Lin.

Overall, Kabongo probably isn’t the answer to the Rockets offensive woes at point guard, at least as it relates to scoring, but his passing proficiency would certainly add value to a team who thrives off a point guard that can drive and kick it out to shooters in the corner.