Houston Rockets: 3 reasons De'Anthony Melton was a bad pick

Houston Rockets: 3 reasons De’Anthony Melton was a bad pick

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 10: USC guard De'Anthony Melton (22) looks on during a college basketball game between the Cal State Fullerton Titans and the USC Trojans on January 22, 2017, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA.(Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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Photo by David Klutho/NCAA Photos via Getty Images /

2. He sat out all of last season

Going into the 2017-18 season, expectations for USC Trojans basketball were incredibly high, but their outlook was clouded by the bombshell that was the college basketball bribery case. Unfortunately for USC and their fans, De’Anthony Melton was one of the players allegedly connected to receiving improper benefits in exchange for attending the university.

The school had no choice but to suspend Melton for the entirety of the 2017-18 season, which was a huge blow to the team’s chances of having the special season it was expected to have. Instead of returning to school and hoping to regain his eligibility, Melton opted to declare for the 2018 NBA Draft.

When the Rockets went with Melton with the 46th pick, they picked a player who hasn’t played competitively since March of 2017. There is no denying that there will be an adjustment period for him when he gets back on the floor at game speed. It is already hard enough for young players to adjust to the NBA’s level of speed and physicality, but this is an additional obstacle.

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