Houston Rockets: 2017 NBA Draft grades

The 2017 NBA Draft is now complete. Who did the Rockets draft and how will those draft picks fit on the team? Let’s evaluate their selection.

In the 2017 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets owned the 43rd and 45th picks in the second round. There were many prospects the Rockets were pegged to draft in the various mock drafts leading up to the real thing, but as is the case in drafts, it’s all about what the teams ahead of you decide to do with their picks.

Also, what a team does with their draft picks is often dependent on what path the team is on. If a team is planning to sign top free agents and contend in the upcoming season (like the Rockets) they may target experienced college players or overseas “draft-and-stash” prospects.

If a team is undergoing a rebuild, then they will be inclined to take younger players that have more potential, but will take longer to develop and contribute in the NBA.

With that being said, let’s evaluate how the Rockets did in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Pick No. 43 – Isaiah Hartenstein (Lithuanian league club: Žalgiris Kaunas)

After waiting several hours with their first pick of the draft, the Rockets drafted the German big man Isaiah Hartenstein.

Several players the Rockets were predicted to draft (such as Frank Mason III and Dwayne Bacon) were selected before their first pick. However, Houston decided on the 7’1″, 225-pound, 19-year-old German.

The first question the Rockets must decide is whether they plan to bring Hartenstein over for the 2017-18 season. It is very likely that given their desire to pursue the top free agents this summer, they will want to hold off on bringing Hartenstein over in order to save cap space.

However, simply looking at Hartenstein’s game, you can see why the Rockets were willing to take a flier on him with the 43rd pick:

Hartenstein possess potential on both ends of the floor, making him an intriguing big man. So far in his play overseas, he has been a good rebounder and shot-blocker. However, on the other end of the floor Hartenstein is a versatile scorer, and can spread the floor as a stretch-5 in the NBA.

As I mentioned earlier, Hartenstein has good size, making him a physical presence on the floor at all times. With his ability to hit from the perimeter or in the paint, he can score in a variety of ways, making him harder to guard. Simply put, Hartenstein has good potential on the offensive end of the floor.

However, there are obviously concerns with Hartenstein, as he fell to 43rd despite being projected as a potential late first round pick. First and foremost, Hartenstein was flagged with an injury that dropped him on the draft boards for many teams:

A back injury for a big man is obviously a concern. While Hartenstein says he is healthy, it isn’t a great sign that he fell in the draft due to injury concerns.

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Another big concern with Hartenstein is his basketball IQ and decision-making. Often times he isn’t disciplined enough defensively, and he doesn’t own a polished offensive game on the other end of the floor. Finally, as ESPN’s Chad Ford points out, Hartenstein can fall in love with the jumper too much at times (never mind that his release is extremely unusual and needs to be worked on in order to be more effective).

There are certainly concerns surrounding Hartenstein, a player who many thought would be a late first round pick. However, due to the concerns above (especially related to his back injury), Hartenstein fell to the Rockets and they decided to draft him.

For Houston, Hartenstein might not even see an NBA floor until the 2018-19 season, in which case it’s even harder to evaluate their selection of him. In the end, Hartenstein is a player with good potential on both ends of the floor, but also serious concerns that can prevent him from ever becoming a solid NBA player.

The Rockets also had the 45th pick in the draft, but decided to trade it to the Memphis Grizzlies for a future second round pick, according to Jonathan Feigen. The Rockets drafted Dillon Brooks out of Oregon and then traded him to Memphis.

Again, that move certainly seems to be related to maintaining (and eventually, creating) as much cap space as possible in order to bring a star to Houston. If the Rockets are successful in doing so, no one will criticize the team for not looking to add a contributor with either of these second round picks. If Houston fails in its quest to sign a star, some will question the decision-making behind the drafting of Hartenstein and the trading away of the 45th pick.

Next: 2017 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams

This draft wasn’t about finding players to contribute in the 2017-18 season for the Houston Rockets. They selected a likely “draft-and-stash” player in Hartenstein and traded away the 45th pick to maintain as much cap space as possible. The Rockets now set their sights on free agency beginning on July 1.

Grade: B-