Checking in on the 2023 guys the Rockets could've drafted

Other than Coulibaly, these were all players I considered picking at 4-5. The general feeling I got was that outside of Wembanyama and Scoot, the next tier of prospects were pretty level. Even in the late lotto and beyond there have been some good contributions.

Feel the same about Amen. Excited to see him back on the floor.

Looking at the Cam pick, I don't think there are any players selected after him that have flashed enough to make me reconsider the selection. Marcus Sasser is probably the best so far, but he's a very different player coming in with much more basketball experience.

 

If we didn't draft Amen, I wanted Ausar or Anthony Black, then Cam or Jarace (I think that was the order, anyway). Coulibaly was coming on strong to the draft lead-up. France, hell, Europe, in general, is becoming a basketball powerhouse since they start kids learning basketball so young.

The gap in actual ability between Amen and Ausar wasn't all that great. I just wanted a guy that could handle the ball, that had plus height and athleticism. Ausar could do most of that, and at one point was considered the better twin, but it's always been close between those two, but I wanted a "lifetime" ball-handler with good IQ for this team. I liked the fact he was the more aggressive of the twins, too. Amen's ball-handling, unfortunately, has kind of left something to be desired. Maybe it's his intent to always drive into the paint before making a decision to pass, I don't know. Hopefully he gets that fixed. I also hope the injury bug isn't a common occurrence. I still love the pick and will still wait to see what we have in him for another 3-4 years.

The Cam pick was a steal, and I won't fault the Rockets for picking him over anybody that low. Unless he was secretly wanted by the FBI or murdered somebody, I was ok with taking that gamble that low in the first round. He's a free look at a lottery pick. I have no issues with him for another 3-4 years.

I thought Taylor Hendricks would be a bit of a bust, but it's too early to crow about that. He could turn things around easily. I have to admit Lively kind of has surprised me. I thought he could be ok, but not good. lol. I thought Cason Wallace could be good simply because of how good he and Anthony Black were in the DFW area, but I loved Black's height, the fact he was a 2-sport athlete, had great athleticism and IQ, etc. That being said, I didn't think Cason would be as good as he's shown so far.

Jordan Hawkins has been a bit of a surprise, too. He may be a top-5 pick in terms of production as of today. I won't say I'm too surprised, because players of his caliber are sometimes just boom or bust.

But all this is early, so ... we'll see.