Welcome to draft week
It’s draft week. We’re finally here. The next ten years of Rockets history will possibly be determined on Thursday night, just like that. No waiting period. We’re going straight from James Harden to the next guy, whoever it is, whether it be Jalen Green or Evan Mobley, or a trade for Cade. No gap year or years like there were going from Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady to James Harden. In a year we were supposed to lose our pick, we somehow landed a pick high enough to secure a franchise cornerstone. Finally, some good luck in what has seemingly been nothing but a string of bad fortune.
As I tweeted earlier today, my opinion on who the team should select changes based on simply which of the two options I most recently read about or watched clips. I want the rim protector that can step out and also lock down the perimeter while also showing the fluidity to handle the ball on the other end; the unicorn multi-dimensional talent the likes of which we’ve never seen. I want the shooting guard who is a couple of summers of dribbling drills away from being a top 5 scorer in the league; the Kobe Bryant clone. If you asked me right now, at this moment, on Sunday night, my selection would be Jalen Green at #2.
Without a doubt Mobley has the higher ceiling. But I just don’t see any scenario where Green doesn’t succeed. He has the combination of intrinsic traits which pretty much guarantee stardom: mentality, size, athleticism, and shooting. The weaknesses (defense and playmaking) will either be overcome as a function of mentality and determination (defense) or aren’t absolutely necessary for stardom (he doesn’t need to be an elite playmaker if he’s an elite scorer.) In particular, the blend of shooting with athleticism will be a load.
When picking this high in the draft, particularly at this stage of a franchise’s rebuilding, one should never give any weight to fit with existing players, particularly when the existing players aren’t proven anyways. That is to say, you should take the best player available.
Having said that, I just can’t help but find myself getting giddy over a potential Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green backcourt, particularly because the two want to play together. How cool is that? There’s nothing more fun for me than star backcourts, especially after watching James Harden and Chris Paul lead the team to a 65 win season in their sole healthy season together. Isn’t the whole point of fandom entertainment? Isn’t that why we’re even here?
If Porter Jr., still fresh off of dropping 50/10 on an All-NBA defender who went on to swing the NBA Finals, were in this year’s draft, he’d undoubtedly be a top-5 selection based on talent alone. I still can’t get over the position the franchise is in. We should be sitting here wondering who the team will select with the 18th pick. Instead, after getting Porter Jr. for free last year, Rafael Stone will most likely end Thursday night with a future backcourt composed of potential stars aged 21 and 19. Just an amazing turn of events and a great way to erase the stench from the ugly end of the Harden era.
Right now, as I write this, I’m just feeling grateful about where things stand because it could have been very bleak. One lucky ping pong ball changed everything…