Three Rockets found themselves in the top 30, but there was a puzzling exclusion…
Bleacher Report recently did a five-year NBA Re-Draft from the years 2019-2023 to see how the brightest talent in the league would stack up if they were all lumped together for an ultimate fantasy draft. Overall, I think their staff produced a portrayal of the draft on par with what would probably happen. I have my nitpicks here and there, which I will get into, but I’m not mad at the final product.
Here is their projected draft order:
- Victor Wembanyama
- Anthony Edwards
- Tyrese Haliburton
- Tyrese Maxey
- Ja Morant
- Paolo Banchero
- Zion Williamson
- Chet Holmgren
- Scottie Barnes
- Alperen Şengün
- Jalen Williams
- LaMelo Ball
- Evan Mobley
- Franz Wagner
- Cade Cunningham
- Desmond Bane
- Devin Vassell
- Brandon Miller
- Darius Garland
- Immanuel Quickley
- Jalen Green
- Trey Murphy III
- Jabari Smith Jr.
- Jalen Johnson
- Jalen Suggs
- Dereck Lively II
- Andrew Nembhard
- Herb Jones
- Keegan Murray
- Jaden McDaniels
As you can see, three Houston Rockets made the cut, Alperen Sengun (10), Jalen Green (21), and Jabari Smith Jr. (23), but I was a little disappointed that Amen Thompson didn’t land here. By the same token, I could make the same case for Ausar Thompson as they’re a package deal based on what we saw in year one and projecting them going forward.
Understandably so, the depth of talent that has come into the league has been bountiful, and considering that fitting five years worth of draft into 30 picks isn’t the easiest task, I’ll let the BR staff slide. Next year might be a different story though.
Shuffling back to the top of the draft, the first two picks, Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards, are no-brainers. My first grievance comes at pick three where we see Haliburton over Maxey and Morant. It’s certainly a pick your poison between the three point guards, but I’d personally take Morant before the other two. Recency bias and a wonky two years of off-court issues and injuries may have muddied public perception on Morant, but he’s still a tick better than the other two at his peak in my estimation.
The six-to-eight-range, Banchero, Williamson and Holmgren, could also be debated, but I think they nailed it based on what we’ve seen. I’ve always been high on Williamson and he could have been in talks for the second pick if not for his extensive injury history. Nevertheless, I’m content seeing him placed between the top two picks from 2022.
Once we get past Scottie Barnes at nine, we start to see the fringe/future All-Star section featuring Sengun, Williams, Ball, Mobley, Wagner, Cunningham and Bane. For my money, I’d still probably take Cunningham over all these guys because I still think there’s an exceptionally talented player there, he’s just been put in an extremely unfortunate situation in Detroit.
Someone that I could see rising into the top 10 next year should BR re-do this draft is Brandon Miller (18). Heading into his sophomore year with a new coach and a healthy LaMelo, don’t be surprised if the pure shooting wing catapults into the 20 points per game range in year two.
Jalen Green edges out Trey Murphy III for the 21st selection and I’ll be the one to say it… I think I’d rather have Murphy. I’m not out on Green, but I’d be more secure going forward knowing what Murphy can provide in terms of shooting and size. Green has been more of a wild card thus far and would likely have been a fringe pick for this draft if not for an unbelievable stretch at the end of the season.
Another Pelican that I’d probably take higher than Green, and higher in general, is Herb Jones. As far as guard defense goes, there’s not an another guy that could make a push for DPOY votes to the extent that Jones has. Couple that with him developing into a 42 percent three-point shooter last year, and it’s an absolute steal considering the contract that he’s on right now.
I was glad to Jabari Smith Jr. make it onto the list as I think he still has potential to grow into the prospect that made him a top pick in the 2022 draft. It will be interesting to see what the public perception of him will be once the Rockets start to get more national TV spots, hopefully as soon as this season.
As for the rest of the draft, everyone who made it was deserving. There were a couple of honorable mentions that I would have liked to see make it, Thompson Twins included. My biggest snub would be Jonathan Kuminga. His career has fluctuated early on due to inconsistent playing time, but he really gave us a sneak peek at his upside last season. As far as pure athletes taken over the past five years, he’s near the top.
Five-Year Re-Draft by the Numbers
Players taken by draft year:
2019: Three
2020: Eight
2021: Ten
2022: Six
2023: Three
Players taken by round:
First Round: 28
Second Round: Two
Top three picks:
2019: Two (Missing: RJ Barrett)
2020: Two (Missing: James Wiseman)
2021: Three
2022: Three
2023: Two (Missing: Scoot Henderson)
Jalens by draft:
2019: Zero
2020: Zero
2021: Three (Green, Johnson and Suggs)
2022: One (Williams)
2023: Zero