Gary Payton II to Rockets: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

The Houston Rockets agreed to sign Gary Payton II after the former Oregon State Beavers guard was not taken in Thursday's NBA draft, giving him a chance to follow in his dad's footsteps.

Cleveland.com's Chris Haynes was among the first to report the news, adding that the deal is for three years.

Payton averaged 14.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.8 steals per game in two years at Oregon State. He played at Salt Lake Community College in Utah before joining Oregon State.

His father played 17 NBA seasons and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1996.

The Glove passed his defensive tenacity on to his son. The younger Payton became the first player ever to win the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award twice, per Oregon State's official website.

Immediately after the draft ended, Payton popped up as one of the top undrafted free agents available. DraftExpress' Jonathan Givony and ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton included him on their lists:

Three-point and free-throw shooting could be reasons why Payton failed to win over any teams at the draft. He shot 30.2 percent from distance at Oregon State while hitting only 65.2 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe. Despite being a quick guard, Payton also struggled to get to the line, averaging only 3.5 free-throw attempts per game in two seasons.

At the NBA Draft Combine, Givony noted some of Payton's problems in scrimmages:

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The 23-year-old Seattle native still has his struggles as a scorer in the half court, mostly due to his shooting stroke. Payton missed a wide open pull up jumper from the elbow and turned down an open three from the wing a few possessions later.

He's not quite a vocal floor general or big-time shot creator, but with Payton's defense, passing instincts, physical tools (6' 3” with a 6' 8” wingspan) and athleticism he was able to find some success playing off the ball.

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Payton has many of the same strengths and weaknesses as Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley. With Beverley's future uncertain—the team tried to trade him during the draft, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News—Payton could find a role as a defensive stopper off the bench.

New head coach Mike D'Antoni also prefers to play at a fast pace, which should suit Payton's game and give him a shot to make the roster.

Statistics are courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.