Some teams build through the draft. Some teams use the draft as a stock market. Looking at the Houston Rockets, the last 10 picks are a little of both.
I have spent a lot of time over recent months looking back at old drafts. This is partly because the season has been on pause but also because I think looking back at the way the team has been built over recent years can help foretell the next upcoming teams based on trends and plans of action. Some teams have planned to take for years to build up top lottery picks. Then there are teams like the Houston Rockets.
The fact that we have to go all the way back to 2008 to complete this list shows how differently the Houston Rockets have viewed draft choices over the Daryl Morey era. Using them as chips in transactions over developmental talents more often than not and it shows in the makeup of their roster.
When we are looking at these guys remember that many of them will be looked at for their careers post-Rockets. It is not only about how they performed on the Rockets. It is about what they brought back in moves that helped the team build. It is also about each player’s career as a whole. For some of our younger fans, this will be their first time hearing about some of the guys who were taking more than a decade ago and have long disappeared from Rockets’ lore. Let’s begin.