With collegiate veterans Jaden Bradley and Tamin Lipsey projected to Houston, the Rockets may prioritize experienced, defensive-minded guards to bolster their backcourt depth under Ime Udoka.
Just this past week, Houston’s potential draft day plans got a major shakeup, as covered on Roundtable. With many of the players projected to be picked in the second round now choosing to return to college, it’s time to turn our focus to some different options.
Thankfully James Fletcher III from On3 gave us an updated mock draft following the withdrawal deadline. I must admit, I like the direction he went with this one.
Jaden Bradley is first on the list for the 39th pick. This veteran guard played in nearly 150 collegiate games through his four year career. 149 to be exact, transferring from Alabama to Arizona after his freshman season.
He proved to be a really good finisher at the rim, helped by his strength and athleticism. He doesn’t shy away from contact, in fact it’s the exact opposite. You’ll frequently see him seeking out and initiating body bumps with big men, limiting their ability to jump and block his shot.
He’s a high energy, yet composed floor general. I see this as a solid Aaron Holiday replacement moving forward. A guy who can come in right away and contribute. Someone who presumably wouldn’t look overwhelmed when getting thrown into the fire.
Earning Ime Udoka’s trust obviously isn’t easy, as we’ve seen with Reed Sheppard, but I’d have faith in Bradley moving forward. This is precisely the type of experienced rookie that I’d love to see suiting up for the Houston Rockets next season.
A lot of the same could be said about the projected 53rd overall pick, Tamin Lipsey from Iowa State. The senior Cyclone started in all 137 of his appearances through four seasons.
While he’s a couple inches shorter than Jaden Bradley’s listed height of 6’3”, he weighs the same 200 pounds. That surely helped him to get three consecutive Big 12 All-Defensive Team selections, which the Rockets should love.
I can definitely see the comparisons between him and Jevon Carter, or even Kyle Lowry on the high end. While he’s much too small for the whispers of Marcus Smart that I’ve heard, all of those NBA vets are obviously defensive minded guards.
While some people think he could get selected late in the first round, I wouldn’t be surprised if his size and age make him fall further. 53rd overall is pretty low though, so we’ll see.
Drafting two pretty similar guards might seem redundant, especially with Fred VanVleet returning, but it still makes sense.
Aaron Holiday is a free agent who could easily sign the same minimum contract with any team in the league, so there may be an opening there.
Not to mention, a pick as late as 53rd is likely to sign a Two-Way contract, if they make the final roster at all.
It wouldn’t be much different than expecting to start last season with FVV, Amen, Sheppard, and Holiday, plus some Two-Way guards. And as we saw, the front office didn’t make any changes after Freddy’s injury.
I certainly like these options more than any other mock draft I’ve seen thus far. I believe Houston should aim for older and NBA-ready players who Ime Udoka will trust and actually give playing time. These guys definitely seem to fit that mold.
