NBA Draft 2011: Jordan Hamilton and the 6 Best Prospects for the Houston Rockets
As a team, the Houston Rockets are caught in purgatory.
They are neither a playoff contender, nor bad enough to completely rebuild.
In order to begin moving in the right direction, the Rockets need to hit a home run with their new acquisitions. Thanks to a payroll that is already near the salary cap, the Rockets won't have much flexibility in free agency. They will instead have to improve organically through the draft.
The Rockets have two picks in the first round, Nos. 14 and 23. With those picks, they have two huge, glaring needs to fill. They need someone who can defend the paint and a volume scorer (preferably in the front court) who can give the Rockets some offense when Kevin Martin is being defended well.
Fortunately, there are a number of players who fit those roles who should be available when they are on the clock. Let's take a look at some of the players who would best fit in with what the Rockets need.
Jordan Hamilton, Texas
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It's no guarantee Jordan Hamilton will slip all the way to the Rockets at No. 14, but the team sure would love him to.
After a disappointing freshman season at Texas, Hamilton came back and established himself as a go-to scorer for the Longhorns as a sophomore. He led the team with 18.6 points per game, shot 78 percent at the free-throw line and made 38.5 percent of his three-pointers.
Hamilton is one of the best pure scorers in the draft. He can score in the paint, from mid-range and from long distance. At 6'8", he has the size to be an effective scorer in the paint and the quickness to get his shot while facing the basket or off his own dribble.
He is truly a Swiss Army knife when it comes to scoring with the abilities to play both small forward and power forward; plus, he can get his points equally well at either position.
After being criticized for his shot selection and willingness to fit in with the offense as a freshman, Texas head coach Rick Barnes went out of his way to compliment Hamilton on his grasp of their offense as a sophomore.
Hamilton is the type of scorer the Rockets could really use. He can get his points in a variety of ways, scoring off a smooth pass within the offense or on a desperation three when the offense breaks down.
Here's hoping he's still on the board at 14.
Bismack Biyombo, Congo
2 of 6Bismack Biyombo is a natural fit for the Rockets given their need for someone to defend the paint.
Biyombo became the biggest story to come out of the pre-draft Nike Hoops Summit with his incredible shot-blocking ability and staggering rebounding numbers.
Like any other international prospect, there will be concerns about Biyombo being too raw; I think those concerns are overblown. Rebounding and shot-blocking are two skills that tend to be gifted to certain players rather than learned. Biyombo won't have to do any more developing in those areas to be elite at them.
His size leaves a little to be desired at 6'9", but post defense and rebounding are more about timing and positioning, and less about sheer size. Biyombo has the potential to be a Dikembe Mutombo-type defensive enforcer.
The best news for the Rockets is Byiombo will almost surely be there at 14. He may actually drop to the pick at 23, but that's a little more unlikely.
Alec Burks, Colorado
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At Colorado, Alec Burks had one assignment: score as much as he could in as many ways as he could.
If the Rockets use a pick on him in the first round, they will have similar expectations for him.
Burks averaged 17.1 and 20.5 points in his two seasons at Colorado. He excels at taking his man one-on-one and finding a way to the basket. He also has a nose for the rim and can finish when he gets there.
At 6'6", Burks has the size to play with his back to the basket in the post. His size, coupled with his smooth shooting touch, make him nearly unstoppable in the low post against smaller defenders.
The biggest learning curve for Burks will be working in an offense not centered around him. At Colorado, he was a large part of their offense, and he was often asked to freelance on his own. That won't be the case in the NBA.
The quicker he picks up an intricate offense, the quicker he can become the big-time scorer I feel he can be.
Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
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Consider Kenneth Faried a more polished version of Bismack Biyombo.
In his four years at Morehead State, Faried made a habit of rewriting school and NCAA record books in blocked shots and rebounds.
While he often wasn't the biggest player in the post, Faried was the hardest-working and the smartest. He always knew where to position himself, and he was rarely found in the wrong spot for a block attempt or rebound.
There will be the obvious concerns about Faried's level of play. His college conference, the MEAC, is one of the weaker basketball conferences in the nation.
I wouldn't be too alarmed, though.
Rebounding and shot-blocking ability are things players either have or don't have, and they can't really be taught. Faried didn't miss out on anything by not playing in a bigger conference, so his playing in the MEAC shouldn't keep a team from making him a first-round pick.
His offense is as raw as it could be, but his offense isn't what interests teams. Any offense you get out of him is a bonus.
Faried will be available to the Rockets at 14 and just may be there at 23. He'd be a great value if he falls that far.
Marshon Brooks, Providence
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Marshon Brooks put on a scoring clinic last season.
It went largely unnoticed though since he did it for a bad Providence team.
Brooks averaged a staggering 24.6 points per game despite being constantly double- and triple-teamed. Opposing teams were willing to let anyone but Brooks beat them. In many cases though, he still found a way to get his points.
For someone who took as many shots as he did, Brooks is a surprisingly efficient scorer. Last season, he made 48 percent of his shots from the field and 34 percent of his three-point shots. Those numbers will likely increase when he isn't the only focal point in the offense, which will be the case regardless of which team drafts him.
Like Burks, he will have to better learn how to work within an offense. That will come with time though and shouldn't be reason for a team to pass on him.
There is no reason for the Rockets to take him at 14 overall. He will likely be available at 23.
Trey Thompkins, Georgia
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Trey Thompkins is a prospect the Rockets might look at as someone who could fill both of their top needs.
Thompkins is an outstanding post scorer. He can beat you with any number of moves in the low post, and he has a soft shooting touch out to mid-range.
He averaged 16.4 points last season, helping Georgia to a surprising appearance in the NCAA tournament and showing up big in their tournament game against Washington with 26 points. You know Thompkins isn't afraid of playing in big games.
There is also hope he can become a strong post defender. He has the requisite size at 6'10", and he is deceptively strong. He weighs in at just 239 pounds, but his frame is one that seems conducive to adding more weight.
Thompkins should be on the board at 23, and the Rockets would do well to take what might be the most well-rounded low post player in the entire draft when it's all said and done.
