draft, and the three rookies of Rockets have also completed the press conference to meet with fans. After everything stabilized, Rockets reporter Iko can finally write an article with peace of mind, describing what happened to the team that day. The story is all presented to everyone, solving the doubts of many Rockets fans.
Jabari Smith It was indeed an accident, not planned.
The Rockets selected Jabari Smith with the third overall pick in the first round. One thing that is certain is that he was not in the Rockets' plan for the day. The reason is simple. After the team management simulated multiple drafts, they had given up hope of selecting Smith with the third overall pick, and Banchero was the team's default best choice at the time.
However, after the Magic selected Banchero, the Thunder took Chet, and a huge surprise appeared in front of the Rockets. Since the Rockets began to inspect rookies, Smith has always been ranked first in the team's big target. , and Stone did ask the Thunder and Magic about the price of an upward trade, which might cause the Rockets to lose some important future resources, so Stone did not finally pull the trigger.
At the beginning of this offseason, the Rockets' draft strategy focused on establishing a certain defensive system. The team's 20 wins and 62 losses last season were largely due to their league's bottom defense. The bitter consequences of efficiency. As for the core point of establishing the team's defensive system, the team believes that Smith is the most perfect adapter. After successfully selecting Smith, the team's plan returned to the most perfect line originally designated. This is why Stone The reason why I was so excited at the scene.
Tali-Eason and the Rockets cherish each other
The Rockets' selection of Eason is a continuation of the above-mentioned idea of establishing a defensive system, but the original combination was a combination of Banchero + Eason, and Eason is more like That core point in the defensive system.
But even after acquiring Smith, the Rockets did not hesitate at all in selecting the 17th pick in their first round. One was due to the rationality of the team's lineup, and the other was that Ethan was indeed the best on the Rockets roster at the time. player of.
If Eason and the target people on the draft list are selected early at that time, Stone has already contacted the next owner of the Rockets' No. 17 pick, and the Rockets are also prepared to only get the third pick, Jabari Smith, to finish this year. selection work. As a result, goddess luck came again, and the Rockets successfully acquired this defensive warrior on the front line.
Taitai-Washington is an "old acquaintance" of General Manager Stone
The trade of the No. 26 pick was not initiated by the Rockets, so there is no such thing as Stone's downward trade in order to retaliate against the Timberwolves . After Kessler was intercepted, the Rockets' target with the 26th pick was Taytay Washington, and the Timberwolves took the initiative to give the Rockets two second rounds to improve three picks. After Stone thought briefly, he made a decisive decision Agreeing to the other party, he finally succeeded in selecting Taytay Washington with the 29th pick.
Talking about Taytay Washington, Stone explained that when he was playing in the AAU team, Washington and Stone's son belonged to the same league, so he was very familiar with Taytay Washington's style of play, and while playing for University of Kentucky , He once played for Jai Lucas (John Lucas's youngest son), and there is no doubt that the Rockets have become the team that knows him best in the league.
The key factor that made the Rockets willing to choose him was Taytay Washington's on-the-spot judgment ability on the court, which may bring a true backcourt commander to the team.
Martin Jr. may leave the team earlier than Gordon
In terms of team personnel changes, Iko mentioned that the team's attitude towards Gordon is still biased towards letting him stay on the team. After Wall was bought out, Go Gordon is the only player on the team with a salary of more than 10 million, and Gordon has not yet received an offer that satisfies the Rockets in the current free market. The team does not mind letting Gordon stay for one more season. After all, next season Gordon's salary in the contract year is not fully guaranteed this season, which has no impact on the team's plan to make room in 2023.
After Martin discussed the possibility of trading with the team, there are currently Nets and Trail Blazers and other teams in the league making inquiries with the Rockets. The Rockets' expectations for Martin's return are much smaller than Gordon's. There is a probability that an unprotected second-round pick can do it. The Nets and Trail Blazers have not made any further reactions after the inquiry, but it is expected that Martin Jr. will no longer be in the Rockets' lineup in the early days of the free market. among.
Thanks for reading, please like, follow and support!
