With the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft coming to an end, the rookie rosters of the major teams have been decided. The Eagles picked up French talent Risachet with the No. 1 pick, and the Wizards followed suit by selecting another rising French star, Sarr. Coupled with the Hornets selecting Saron with the sixth pick, this year's French national team can be said to be a bumper harvest. In addition, the high-profile Rockets successfully captured Reid Shepard, a god pitcher from the University of Kentucky, with a probe lottery, which undoubtedly added an important guarantee to the Rockets' outside firepower.
Shepard's arrival means a lot to the Rockets. His shooting ability and outside threat will breathe new life into the Rockets' offensive system. Complementing the combination of Green and Shin Kyung, the overall strength of the Rockets is expected to usher in a qualitative leap in the new season. Shepard shoots 52 percent from three-point range and averages 2.5 steals per game, making significant contributions on both ends of the floor. In the position of the flower sign, Shepard is also the best answer for the Rockets. For the results of this draft, Rockets general manager Stone expressed a high degree of satisfaction.
However, the mission of the rocket is not over. Tomorrow is the second day of the draft, and this year's second-round pick will be chosen. The Rockets have a No. 44 pick in addition to the pick, and they need to continue working tomorrow. However, unlike the rigor and deliberation of the first-round draft, Stone's expectations for the No. 44 pick are not high. In an interview with the media today, about tomorrow's second-round pick, Stone said they can keep or trade the No. 44 pick and they don't feel they have any pressing needs that need to be addressed in the second round.
That said, the Rockets don't have much to expect from the second-round draft, or just say that tomorrow's draft doesn't matter to them at all. The Rockets may trade the No. 44 pick, or if the trade doesn't work, they may choose one with their eyes closed. After getting Shepard, the Rockets have done the main job, and this second-round pick selection may be more casual, and may even be more focused on player flow and topicality. That's interesting, because if it's a blind pick, Choi Yong-hee and Bronny will be the best choices for the Rockets.
As two high-profile young players, they didn't make it to the first round, but both have the quality of a second-round pick. Choi Yong-hee, who has won the recognition of many fans and experts with his excellent physical fitness and all-round technical ability, is from the Chinese market, while the Rockets have a Chinese complex since Yao Ming, otherwise they would not have selected Zhou Qi. If the Rockets choose Choi Yong-hee, it will once again have a huge Chinese market, which is a huge positive thing for the Rockets. As for the strength, since Stone feels that the second round will not bring much improvement to the team, there is no need to think too much.
Needless to say, with his father James here, Bronny's popularity and popularity have been rising, but because of his lack of strength, he was not selected in the first round. In the second round, there will be a large number of teams interested in Bronny, and selecting him will bring talk and maybe recruit James. The Rockets can also take a gamble, and if no one picks Bronny in front, the No. 44 pick can try, and it will be better than picking someone who doesn't need it. Let's see, what choice the rocket will make tomorrow!