Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets have not tipped their hand on who they plan to take with the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft, but the selection of Jalen Green appears to have some support.

Kelly Iko of The Athletic reported people in the league "love the idea" of pairing Green with Kevin Porter Jr. to form the team's long-term backcourt. 

The Rockets are expected to consider Green, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs with the second pick, working under the assumption consensus No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham goes to the Detroit Pistons.

Green is currently the No. 2 overall prospect on ESPN's draft board. He spent last season with the G League Ignite, a startup team designed to give top prospects an alternative to playing college basketball. Flashing elite athleticism, solid shooting and above-average combo guard skills, Green averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

"He wasn’t trying to back down from nobody," Ignite teammate Bobby Brown told Iko of Green. “He wanted all the smoke from everybody.”

The Rockets acquired Porter last season after the talented guard had a falling-out with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Porter quickly established himself in the Rockets rotation, averaging 16.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.8 rebounds in 26 games. His performance reached an apex in the final week, when he put up 50 points and 11 assists in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Rockets have a steep hill to climb back into contention after trading James Harden, but filling their guard rotation with Green and Porter would be a strong start.

However, it may also spell the end of John Wall's time in Houston.

The Houston Rockets are evaluating options with the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NBA draft and reportedly have their eyes on Jalen Green. 

Per ESPN's Jonathan Givony, opposing teams think the Rockets will prioritize Green's "shot creation and playmaking ability" over the size and skill of Evan Mobley.

The Rockets secured the second overall pick during the NBA draft lottery last week. This is general manager Rafael Stone's first opportunity to add a potential franchise player after trading James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in January.

Four players at the top of this year's class are regarded as future All-Stars. 

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman ranks Cade Cunningham as the top overall player with Green and Mobley "interchangeable at No. 2 and No. 3." Gonzaga's Jalen Suggs is fourth on the list.

Mobley won Pac-12 Player of the Year as a freshman at USC last season. He averaged 16.4 points and 8.7 rebounds in 33 games. The 20-year-old is more of a traditional big man with limited range on his shot, making 30 percent of his three-point attempts on 1.2 attempts per contest in 2020-21. 

Givony noted Green "has the type of superstar upside" that Houston's roster lacks. The California native averaged 17.9 points on 46.1 percent shooting (36.5 percent from three) and 4.1 rebounds per game in 15 starts for the G League Ignite. 

The Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers own the second and third overall picks in the 2021 NBA draft after the lottery order was revealed on Tuesday.

They're in position to grab some prime talent, but Adrian Wojnarowski reported on ESPN prior to the announcement that Houston and Cleveland could be looking to make some moves. He spoke with ESPN's Rachel Nichols about the topic.

“Rachel, I think when you look at this lottery tonight there are multiple teams, I’m told—Cleveland, Minnesota, Houston—who are going to be very aggressive if they’re in the top of this lottery with perhaps putting those picks in trades to bring back young veteran players or All-Star-level players to accelerate their rebuilds.”

The Minnesota Timberwolves will not have a lottery pick, as their selection will go to the Golden State Warriors at No. 6 as part of the D'Angelo Russell trade.

The Rockets and Cavs have some options though. They'll almost certainly be out of the running for presumptive No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State, who appears headed for the lottery-winning Detroit Pistons. But a trio of other potential superstars (USC big man Evan Mobley, Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs and NBA G League Ignite shooting guard Jalen Green) awaits.

Houston and Cleveland could simply decide to stay put and draft from that group, but if they want to make deals, there very well may be some interested parties given the excellent potential and talent in the top tier this year.

The NBA draft will go down on Thursday, July 29 from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The Houston Rockets had the No. 1 overall pick of the 1984 NBA draft when they selected Hakeem Olajuwon, and they're hoping the big man can bring them similar luck for this year's draft.

On Monday, the Rockets announced that Olajuwon will be the team's representative at the 2021 NBA draft lottery:

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1402026340346437633

Olajuwon is a Houston legend as a Hall of Famer who won two championships during a career that included two NBA Finals MVPs, a league MVP, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, 12 All-NBA selections, nine All-Defensive selections and 12 All-Star selections.

The Rockets were missing players like that this season on the way to a league-worst 17-55 season.

The silver lining from such an effort is they are tied for the best chance to land the No. 1 overall pick at 14 percent and the best chance to land in the top four picks at 52.1 percent, per Tankathon.

While Houston surely wants the No. 1 pick, landing the No. 3 pick might not be the worst thing either. After all, none other than Michael Jordan himself was the No. 3 pick in Olajuwon's draft class.

Russell Westbrook took issue with how he was handled by the staff of the Houston Rockets, according to ESPN's Kendrick Perkins.

Perkins reported Monday on The Jump that Westbrook "felt like he wasn't being treated like the star that he should've been treated like."

What the Dallas Mavericks are missing is a new Head Coach! Carry the hell on... pic.twitter.com/v9ZWeJW90S

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) June 7, 2021

That echoes what The Athletic's Kelly Iko, Sam Amick, and Shams Charania reported last November when they wrote the nine-time All-Star wanted out. They said Westbrook "wants to join a team where he can have a role similar to his prior, floor general role in Oklahoma City."

The friendship between Westbrook and James Harden was supposed to help smooth over any friction that might arise when the two were sharing the floor together. 

Instead, ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported how the Westbrook and Harden dynamic met the same fate as Harden's brief partnership with Chris Paul, with Westbrook bristling at the general culture within the organization. Then there were the issues laid out above.

"Sources said Westbrook frequently expressed his displeasure during the season with not being able to 'play my game,' as he put it," MacMahon wrote. "There were questions about the Harden-Westbrook fit when they were pushing to play together again, including D'Antoni privately expressing his concerns, sources said."

When it comes to the Washington Wizards, Westbrook is still probably the 1B to Bradley Beal's 1A, but they fit much better because Beal doesn't look to facilitate the offense to the extent Harden does.

Beal averaged a career-high 31.3 points in 2020-21, while Westbrook averaged a triple-double (22.2 points, 11.7 assists and 11.5 rebounds) for the fourth time in five seasons.

Westbrook also seems to get along with head coach Scott Brooks, who coached him for seven seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"Players get a lot of credit because we're on the floor," the 2016-17 MVP told reporters in May. "But behind the scenes, Scotty is one hell of a coach. Not just that, a person, and he does an amazing job making sure we've got all our stuff together."

Turns out, the Los Angeles Lakers don't need LeBron James and Anthony Davis to beat the NBA's worst team. 

They just needed Kyle Kuzma to play the role of hero with a game-winning layup with 6.9 seconds remaining.

The Purple and Gold extended their winning streak to three with a 124-122 victory over the Houston Rockets in Wednesday's Western Conference showdown at Staples Center. Talen Horton-Tucker, Andre Drummond and Kuzma led the way for the shorthanded Lakers, who improved to 40-30 overall as they fight to avoid the play-in tournament.

KUZ COMES UP CLUTCH 😤 https://t.co/mGFnme10DX

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 13, 2021

Impressive showings from Armoni Brooks and Kelly Olynyk weren't enough for the Rockets, who are playing out the string and fell to 16-54 with their seventh straight loss.

Houston could have won it at the end, but Olynyk turned it over in the final seconds after Kuzma's shot.

Wes Matthews and THT get the game-sealing steal ❄️

Big time win for LA https://t.co/BSXjknDap1

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 13, 2021

        

Notable Player Stats

• Talen Horton-Tucker, G, LAL: 23 PTS, 10 AST, 2 STL
• Kyle Kuzma, F, LAL: 19 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST
• Andre Drummond, C, LAL: 20 PTS, 10 REB
• Kelly Olynyk, F, HOU: 24 PTS, 8 AST, 6 REB, 2 STL
• Armoni Brooks, G, HOU: 24 PTS, 6 REB
• Kenyon Martin Jr., F, HOU: 20 PTS, 10 REB, 3 BLK

         

Balanced Attack Helps Lakers Hold Off Houston's Charge

Injuries are never ideal, but the timing for the Lakers could not have been much worse.

They entered play one game behind the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers in the race to avoid the Western Conference play-in tournament. Not only were they without James and Davis as they attempted to make up that ground, Dennis Schroder and Alex Caruso were also sidelined.

Fortunately for the defending champions, converting on the offensive end wasn't a problem against Houston's 27th-ranked defense.

THT's dunk got Bron and AD off the bench 🔥 https://t.co/jivLHsFlPn

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 13, 2021

THT playmakin' 👀 https://t.co/v96hZxQ0Yk

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 13, 2021

Point number 78 in the paint 🤯 pic.twitter.com/1cAxyA3o2w

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 13, 2021

Kuz dime to Trezz 😯 https://t.co/aCK8k7cxSL

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 13, 2021

Horton-Tucker, fresh off his game-winning shot against the New York Knicks, picked up where he left off and spearheaded the early effort by attacking the basket, throwing down a dunk and facilitating when defenders collapsed. Drummond dominated the paint in the third quarter, and the combination of Kuzma, Markieff Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope provided secondary scoring.

Still, the Lakers failed to create any meaningful separation because of their defensive woes with the Rockets pouring in 43 points in the third quarter alone.

Frankly, Los Angeles needed a spark alongside Horton-Tucker if it was going to hold off the undermanned Rockets, and Montrezl Harrell and Kuzma provided just that. The pair scored 15 straight points for the home team in the fourth quarter, the last two of which ended Houston's 9-0 run and gave the Lakers the lead back for good.

The defensive effort was ugly at times, but seven players in double figures was just what the Purple and Gold needed without their two stars.

       

Shorthanded Rockets Put Up Valiant Fight

There's nothing left to do for the Rockets this season but develop younger players and play the role of spoilers.

That figured to be more difficult Wednesday with so many players sidelined, including rising star Christian Wood. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle noted the Rockets took the floor with the minimum number of eight available players, and that total included two two-way players and two hardship exemption players on 10-day contracts.

It wasn't exactly a formula for a playoff-altering upset, although Brooks and Cameron Oliver kept the shorthanded Rockets within striking distance in the early going.

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1392701928145043457

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1392699921879416834

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1392697507440996352

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1392694086289829888

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1392691997786451971

The both found their shooting stroke, while Brooks also got into the lane and led all scorers with 15 at halftime. Olynyk then did his part in the third quarter by torching the Lakers for 16 points behind three triples and an ability to get to the free-throw line.

Throw in Jae'Sean Tate and Kenyon Martin Jr. providing secondary scoring and contributing on the glass, and Houston was ready for a battle even without much firepower.

It was a credit to the available players that the Rockets even had a chance at the end of the game, and they nearly capitalized when Martin and Tate hit back-to-back threes and Olynyk put them ahead with two free throws.

Unfortunately for the visitors, they were unable to get the key last defensive stop. But they still put up quite the fight with limited options on the floor.

         

What's Next?

The Rockets host the L.A. Clippers on Friday, while the Lakers are at the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.

As the Houston Rockets put the finishing touches on one of the worst seasons in franchise history, team owner Tilman Fertitta is optimistic about the future. 

Speaking to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Fertitta expressed his excitement about the long-term direction of the Rockets. 

"I never thought I could feel this good when I've been so upset about losing," he said. "But when I look at all the draft picks that we have and the future, I'm just happy. I know it's unusual to feel this good with your coach and your general manager, but I do."

The Rockets clinched the NBA's worst record on Monday night thanks to their 140-129 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. They are 16-53 with three games remaining. 

Houston's .232 winning percentage is the third-lowest in franchise history for a single season. Only the 1982-83 team (.171) and 1967-68 San Diego Rockets squad (.183) were worse. 

After both of those seasons, the Rockets drafted a future Hall of Famer with the No. 1 pick, although Elvin Hayes' best years came after he was traded to Washington. 

The Rockets will have the opportunity to select No. 1 overall this year if they win the lottery. The top of this year's class is loaded with potential superstars, including Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs. 

The James Harden trade also got the Rockets four unprotected first-round draft picks (two in 2022, 2024, 2026) and four pick swaps (2021, 2023, 2025, 2027) from the Brooklyn Nets. 

This has been a season to forget in Houston, with four losing streaks of at least five games—including 20 straight from Feb. 3-March 21. 

If Rockets general manager Rafael Stone and the front office can maximize their return on those future picks, it won't take long before the franchise is back among the Western Conference elites. 

Some members of the Houston Rockets organization reportedly wondered whether Dwight Howard was "intentionally whiffing" on picks set for James Harden as their relationship "deteriorated" during the 2015-16 NBA season.

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported Wednesday the tension between Howard and Harden led the superstar guard to ask the coaching staff to come off the bench so he could play more minutes with Clint Capela, though sources told Lowe it was a "facetious" request aimed at getting Capela on the first unit full time.

Capela, who was a 21-year-old second-year player at the time, said he tried to play the role of peacemaker between the Rockets' big names while also working on his own development.

"I could kind of get them together," he told Lowe. "We were able to speak and laugh together. When I was around both of them, there were no issues with us talking."

None of the players are still in the Houston organization.

Howard left immediately after that 2015-16 season to join the Atlanta Hawks. He's currently a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.

"It wasn't as good as it needed to be for us to succeed," the eight-time All-Star center told ESPN in July 2016 about his relationship with Harden.

The Rockets traded Capela to the Hawks in February 2020.

Harden was the last one to leave, joining Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving with the Brooklyn Nets as part of a January blockbuster deal.

"I know what the truth is, it's no beef. We never got into a heated argument," Harden told ESPN's Calvin Watkins about Howard in November 2016. "It just didn't work out."

The departure of talent from the Rockets, which included the December trade of Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards, has led the franchise down a rebuilding path.

Houston owns the worst record in the NBA at 16-49 with seven games left on its 2020-21 schedule.

It turns out the Miami Heat weren't the only team keeping a close eye on LeBron James' tweets during the 2014 NCAA men's basketball tournament. 

Per ESPN's Zach Lowe, the Houston Rockets "very briefly" considered drafting Shabazz Napier in 2014 to appeal to James during his free agency that summer. 

Lowe noted that Houston was saving cap space in the summer of 2014 to make a strong play for Chris Bosh, but the organization left the door open for the possibility that James might consider them. 

Napier had one of the greatest tournament runs in history a few months before the NBA draft. He averaged 21.2 points per game on 46.2 percent three-point shooting with 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in six games to help Connecticut win the national championship. 

On the night of the 2014 draft, James sent out this tweet:

My favorite player in the draft! #Napier

— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 27, 2014

The Heat, who were in the process of trying to re-sign James, wound up selecting Napier with the 24th overall pick. 

Ultimately, though, Miami's best efforts to keep James were all for naught. The four-time NBA MVP signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers after spending four years with the Heat. 

The Rockets' angle in this whole thing is a fascinating "what if" scenario. They were coming off a 54-win season in 2013-14 with a roster that featured James Harden, Dwight Howard and Patrick Beverley. 

Despite not landing James, the Rockets went 56-26 in 2014-15. They reached the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Golden State Warriors, who defeated James and the Cavs in the NBA Finals. 

Five days shy of his 21st birthday, Kevin Porter Jr. smashed a record previously held by LeBron James.

In 41 minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, KPJ went for 50 points on 16-of-26 shooting (including 9-of-15 on threes) and dished out 11 assists.

According to NBA History, he became the youngest player to notch a 50-10 game by over two years.

Kevin Porter Jr. (50 PTS, 11 AST) is the youngest player in NBA history (20 years, 360 days) with 50+ points and 10+ assists in a game.

LeBron James (50 PTS, 10 AST on March 5, 2008) was the youngest previously, at 23 years, 66 days. pic.twitter.com/HT3lWmxA6r

— NBA History (@NBAHistory) April 30, 2021

Milwaukee lost reigning Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo to an injury in the opening minutes, but that shouldn't diminish what Porter was able to do.

The bulk of his damage came against Jrue Holiday, who ranks in the top 10 among guards in defensive estimated plus-minus and likely would've defended Porter either way.

The 20-year-old guard was 7-of-11 against Holiday, 4-of-5 against P.J. Tucker, 3-of-6 against Brook Lopez and 1-of-2 when defended by Khris Middleton.

Whether it was guards, forwards or bigs, it didn't matter who the primary defender was. Porter was dropping jumpers on everyone the Bucks put in front of him (11 of his makes came from outside the paint).

One could watch that highlight reel and wonder about sustainability. Was this just an absurdly hot shooting night? Will the memory of this performance fade with time, like the random 50-point outbursts of Tony Delk, Andre Miller or Corey Brewer? Or are there some distinguishing factors?

The obvious one is age. The list of players who dropped 50 before turning 21 is LeBron (who has a very real GOAT argument), Devin Booker (a two-time All-Star) and Brandon Jennings (the example that might temper expectations).

Pouring in this many points at Porter's age is exceptionally rare, regardless of how they're scored.

His career shooting numbers—43.5 percent from the field, 32.8 percent from three and 74.3 percent from the line—suggest this might've been an outlier, but there's plenty of time to work on consistency. And Rockets coach Stephen Silas says it's a priority.

Stephen Silas credits John Lucas for working with Kevin Porter Jr. on his 3-PT shot up to three times a week.

"To see the hard work that he puts in pay off was great." pic.twitter.com/QU8dLyFXV2

— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) April 30, 2021

The more significant distinguisher for Porter might be his playmaking. He had 11 assists in his 50-point explosion. None were spectacular, but a handful showed his feel off ball screens. And this number seems to have much lower outlier potential.

This was Porter's fourth game of double-digit assists this season. He's averaging 6.4, another mark that puts him in good company.

Luka Doncic, LeBron, Magic Johnson, Stephon Marbury, Ja Morant, Isiah Thomas and Trae Young are the only players in league history who matched or exceeded Porter's 2020-21 marks for points and assists per game in an age-20 (or younger) season.

At 6'4", Porter isn't as big as Doncic, James or Johnson, but he has solid size for a 1, and it helps him see the floor in a way smaller guards can't.

Many of his assists are of the "survey and hit the right target" variety, rather than "drive, draw and dish." That doesn't mean he can't do the latter, but the quarterbacking style takes most some time to develop. That Porter is showing it in his second season may be as intriguing as his 50-point night.

Going forward, lineups piloted by Porter and anchored by Christian Wood could be difficult to stop. The guard's ability to read coverages will continue to improve, especially with a big who can do damage as either a pick-and-pop or pick-and-roll threat.

With both under contract through 2022-23 (when Houston has a team option on Porter), there is ample time to develop chemistry. Finding good fits alongside those two, as Jae'Sean Tate appears to be, should be the next priority.

The elephant in this room is the off-court questions that have followed Porter.

Criticism over his recent $50,000 fine for violating the league's health and safety protocols shouldn't be made without the proper context. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania and Kelly Iko, Porter defended teammate Sterling Brown from an assault by unnamed assailants.

It's not hard to imagine the resulting fine outlasts the rest of the story, though. For athletes, especially those with past off-court issues, the negative spin is hard to avoid.

When he was at USC, Porter was suspended for "personal conduct issues." Last offseason, he was arrested on a gun charge and accused of punching a woman in the face. A month into this season, he directed a locker room outburst at Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman when recently acquired Taurean Prince was given his locker.

All told, he became more than Cleveland was willing to deal with, and it traded him to Houston for a 2024 second-round pick, essentially giving him away.

If Porter can succeed with the Rockets, he'll be far from the first NBA redemption story. Time and a change of scenery did wonders for Zach Randolph, and a similar path isn't out of the question for Porter.

He has star-level talent, which was evident as early as his freshman year in college. In November 2018, Bleacher Report draft expert Jonathan Wasserman pegged Porter as a possible top-five talent.

Plenty has happened between then and now, but Thursday was a strong reminder of Porter's ceiling.

He can be one of the game's most productive playmakers. He can be an explosive jump-shooter. He can lead the post-James Harden Rockets to successful basketball.

With his level of talent, it's up to him whether he will.