Jalen Green, Sengun, Smith Jr., Eason, Amen, Whitmore, Shepard, AJ Griffin, the Rockets already have eight talented first-round picks. Some fans ridiculed: The Rockets will sign back Porter Jr. to win the heir.
Porter Jr. was also a potential rookie back then, and he fell to No. 30 because of off-court problems before being selected. Rockets general manager Stone expects too much from Porter Jr., and apparently he can't be the next Harden.
Porter Jr. is suited to be a shooting guard and a bench bandit, and Udoka wants to give him a chance when he takes over.
Porter Jr.'s ability to shoot from three-point range and his physical strength to defend multiple positions are traits that Udoka is looking for. However, Porter Jr. was not angry, he couldn't control his emotions, and was eventually swept away by the rockets.
If Shepard has Porter Jr.'s height and athleticism, he has a good chance of being elected the top pick in 2024. It's a pity that Shepard didn't, but he continued to rise with his three-point shooting ability, and was eventually taken by the Rockets.
Interestingly, before the draft draw, experts predicted that the Rockets would pick Shepard on the 9th, and after the draw, they predicted that the Rockets would pick Shepard on the 3rd. General manager Stone admitted in an interview that Shepard is the number one target for the Rockets' draft.
Many local Houston Rockets fans are happy to have Shepard selected.
Shepard's No. 15 jersey is already available on the official Rockets store. While Dyson Nix has made a huge contribution to Houston's mess, it's clear that he's not qualified to retire the Rockets' jerseys yet.
Many Rockets fans can't wait to see Shepard perform. He should play in this year's NBA Summer League.
Whitmore, who has been training hard lately, has also made a decision that he will also participate. Houston reporter Kelly Eco broke the news that Whitmore will play in Summer League.
Whitmore won't turn 20 until the 8th of next month, and he's young when he enters the draft, with plenty of room for upside. Stone blossomed after picking up Whitmore.
Whitmore likes to play, and last year he won the MVP of the Summer League but unfortunately failed to lead the team to win the championship, is he trying to make up for it this year?
The NBA has officially announced the schedule and rules for the 2024-2025 season of the Las Vegas Summer League.
All 30 NBA teams will participate in the tournament, which will be held July 12-22 at the Thomas & Mike Center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
After each team plays four games, the top four teams advance to the playoffs. The remaining 26 teams that did not qualify will play their fifth consolation match.
On July 13, Beijing time, the first game of the Rockets Summer League against the Lakers, the highlight was Shepard vs. Bronny.
Kelly Eco also revealed that new signing AJ Griffin will also play in Summer League. AJ Griffin will be in his third year next season, but he didn't play much last season and spent most of his time on the bench. AJ Griffin should be looking to use the summer league to find form and prove to Stone that he still has development value.
The Rockets' undrafted center Nfarly Dent should also play in Summer League.
Amen and Smith Jr. were selected for the U.S. men's basketball team. Jalen Green was also named to the sparring team last year, and it was a great opportunity to learn.
Jalen Green and Sengun's early contract extensions are still being evaluated, and Stone believes neither of them is worth the maximum salary contract.
Houston Fagan revealed that the Rockets are unlikely to offer Jalen Green and Sengun a five-year, $225 million max contract extension this offseason.
Stone started with the easy one, and he wanted to re-sign Williams.
Michael Scotto broke the news that the Rockets will make a two-way contract qualification offer for Ginason Williams.
Born in 1999, Gunnarson Williams is a 1.96-meter-tall guard who played 22 games for the Rockets as a two-way player last season, averaging 2.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in six minutes per game, shooting 54% from the field and 40% from three-point range.