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Houston Rockets: 2016 Offseason Grades

By Gerald Bourguet

Jan 25, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) reacts after scoring against New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (33) during the fourth quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Rockets defeated the Pelicans 112-111. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) reacts after scoring against New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (33) during the fourth quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Rockets defeated the Pelicans 112-111. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Houston Rockets
Apr 13, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets forward Michael Beasley (8) dunks against the Sacramento Kings in the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /

Odds And Ends

Tying up the loose ends, the Rockets allowed Michael Beasley‘s $1.4 million contract for the 2016-17 season to become guaranteed this week, bringing back a guy who turned a successful stint in China into 20 games with the Rockets.

Beasley doesn’t move the needle much, but he averaged a respectable 12.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in just 18.2 minutes per game for Houston.

He’s instant offense off the bench and could be set to take on an expanded role given the state of the Rockets’ second unit. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking he does anything but make this team’s defense even worse.

Houston also re-signed Pablo Prigioni to a two-year, non-guaranteed minimum contract. The move makes sense with 17-year veteran Jason Terry still unsigned and though it’s hardly an impactful return, Prigioni is at least a pesky defender who rarely turns the ball over.

Rounding out the roster with Summer League standouts and undrafted prospects, the Rockets turned to Gary Payton II from Oregon State to get things started.

Payton, a 23-year-old who went undrafted in this year’s NBA Draft, averaged 16.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game, establishing himself as a tenacious defender like his father while also throwing down dunks that let the world know he was a freak athlete of his own as well.

On the Rockets’ Summer League team, Payton struggled a bit, putting up 4.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game on 37.5 percent shooting (despite making two of his four three-pointers). If he can make the roster, he’ll eventually give D’Antoni an alternative to Prigioni at the backup point guard spot.

Then there’s Texas’ Isaiah Taylor, another undrafted youngster who averaged 15.0 points and 5.1 assists per game in his junior season with the Longhorns. At age 22, this 6’3″ guard is another more mature prospect for the Rockets to develop if they so choose.

Taylor also failed to consistently perform at Summer League, averaging 5.0 points and 4.0 assists per game on .375/.250/.857 shooting splits, though he did pull off one of the most beautiful moves of the entire tournament:

Finally, the Rockets added Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer, who is coming off a stellar senior season in which he averaged 20.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game on .491/.437/.857 shooting splits.

Wiltjer was a bit more impressive in Vegas, averaging 8.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game on 41.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc, though he did only shoot 38.1 percent from the field overall. He could be a productive stretch-4 down the road if he carves out a spot on the roster.

All three players have been signed to three-year, non-guaranteed deals. They’ll have to prove themselves, and none of them (including Beasley and Prigioni) will change this team’s fate next year, but all three undrafted prospects are worth taking a closer look at.

Grade: B-

Next: Overall

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