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Houston Rockets: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Jan 30, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13), guard Corey Brewer (33) and guard Patrick Beverley (2) celebrate against the Boston Celtics during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13), guard Corey Brewer (33) and guard Patrick Beverley (2) celebrate against the Boston Celtics during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Houston Rockets
Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Sam Dekker (Wisconsin) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number eighteen overall pick to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

The Draft

With the 18th overall pick, the Rockets nabbed the best available talent in Sam Dekker. At 6’9″, he’s an athletic wing who could even log time as a stretch-4 in small-ball lineups in the future. He’ll need to develop his three-point shot to be the ideal fit in Houston’s offense, but he played with a ton of confidence during the NCAA Tournament to lead many to believe that’s possible.

Dekker didn’t play in NBA Summer League due to a sore lower back, so Rockets fans will have to wait a little while longer to get their first taste of the new rookie.

But in his final year at Wisconsin, Dekker displayed both the strong points of his game that made the Rockets select him and the flaws that could hold him back. He averaged 13.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game on the season, and when he was on, he was on. This is the guy who nailed clutch shot after clutch shot for the Badgers in the tournament, after all.

But there is some curiosity over whether what we saw in the tourney is sustainable. Dekker was lights out during March Madness, but he only shot 33.1 percent from three-point range on the year. If he’s able to shoot the ball consistently from downtown, he’ll be a versatile addition to the Rockets in time.

In the second round, Houston got great value on their selection at No. 32 with Montrezl Harrell, a monster competitor from Louisville who was projected to be a mid-first round pick leading up to the draft. In his final season with the Cardinals, Harrell averaged 15.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while attempting to expand his range out to three-point territory.

Though he only converted 24.3 percent of those shots, he’s a stretch-4 who can knock down midrange jumpers and spread the floor. He’s undersized at 6’8″, but Harrell’s unbelievable motor and athleticism help him compete with anyone. In Summer League, he posted 16.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

It’s surprising so many teams passed on Harrell late in the first round, but luckily for the Rockets, they were able to nab a promising prospect at the beginning of the second round. Harrell has yet to officially sign with the team.

The Rockets didn’t know it at the time, but taking two forwards in the draft will help soften the blow of Josh Smith‘s departure (and Kostas Papanikolaou too). If these rookies can develop their perimeter shot and find minutes in their first seasons, they’ll be able to supplement Houston’s depth behind Trevor Ariza/Corey Brewer and Terrence Jones/Donatas Motiejunas.

Grade: A

Next: Re-Signing The Red Bull

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