Houston Rockets Mock Drafts & Combine News: Reed Sheppard, Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle & More

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On today's show, what NBA ORG analysts and mock drafts are saying the Houston Rocket should do with the number three overall pick, what head coach IME Udoka believes this team is missing and needs to add either with the pick or by trading it? Draft Combine News and Notes on Reed Shepard, Donovan Klingon, Stafon, Castle PERSON, and so much more. It's all coming up on today's Locked on Rockets ORG.

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This is Mission Control, Houston GPE. Ignition sequence start. Six, five, four, three, two, one. What's up and welcome to another edition of Locked on Rockets ORG,

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your daily podcast, home for everything, Houston Rockets Basketball ORG. As always, I'm your host, Jackson Gatlin, Native Houstonian NORP, a credentialed media member. I'm also the host of Locked on NBA Mondays ORG. Be sure to follow along wherever you listen to your podcasts or on YouTube ORG. Just search Locked on Rockets ORG. Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe where I desperately, I want your thoughts.Because we don't know what's going to happen with this pick. Give me your thoughts. What do you want to see the Rockets ORG do with this pick? What prospects are you most interested by what stands out to you about what you've seen from the NBA Draft Combine EVENT so far? Let me know in the YouTube comments. Now today's episode is brought to you by Fandwell ORG.Make every moment more with Fandul ORG right now. New customers get $150 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet. That's $150 with any winning $5 bet. Visit fandul.com slash locked on to get started. And as always, thank you so much for making Lockdown Rockets ORG. It's part of your day every single day, whether it's on your way to work, on your lunch break,in the gym. Thank you for being an everydayer. Joining us now is your weekly co-host, the Podfather himself, Rockets Wire ORG editor, and host of the Logger Line podcast, Ben Dubose. You can track down on the Twitter streets at Ben Dubos PERSON. Here, as we are breaking down and discussing all the NBA ORG draft news and notes and excitementsurrounding these prospects and what the Houston Rockets ORG may or may not do with this third overall pick. Ben, just give me your immediate reaction to this, to the Rockets ORG jumping from nine to three, you know, in this year's draft.

Speaker 3200.08s - 326.32s

We're joyed because if they had stayed at nine or 10 in a relatively weak draft, I think the odds were it wouldn't be an asset no matter the end result that we'd be that excited about. If it was traded for a future pick, it wouldn't be a particularly good one. If it was traded as part of a package for a win now upgrade, it probably would not be the primary part of the package because of its low value.And if they just pick someone at nine or 10, then ultimately having to go deep on your draft board and a draft that's weaker at the start would probably not result in a player that the fan base would be all that excited about, at least not initially. As opposed to now, I mean, there's so many options. If you just keep the pick, then going at number three overall, you can get a guy that's close to the top of your draft board. And while there's no Wembe or Palo Bencaro in this draft, look, the Rockets have had a lot of success the last few years drafting in the middle of the first round.Alperin Shungun at 16, Tari Easton at 17, Cam Whitmore at 20. Are you really going to tell me that this draft doesn't have someone at the top that isn't comparable to guys that went in the middle to late first round the last couple of years? I don't buy that for a second. There are guys that are capable in this draft. They're just a little bit tougher to find than they usually are at the very top. That's where you have to trust your draft gurus to do their jobs.And the Rockets ORG have generally done well at that. So by being able to pick at the front of the line or very close to the front of the line, they might just stay there and get a player we're actually excited about, as opposed to having to go, you know, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth on the draft board, whatever it may be had they not moved up. And then as far as trade opportunities, look, pick three is a lot more attractive on the market than pick nine.It can be a much larger part of a package if there is a win now veteran, if there is a star available. And then if you do the least sexy move, which is a win now veteran, if there is a star available. And then if you do the least sexy move, which is traded for future picks, well, by being at number three overall, I'm guessing you can get at least two future picks, either trade back in a future pick or just two future picks in upcoming years, simply based on being this high in the order. So no matter the end outcome, you're going to get a good asset out of this, be it now or in the future,in a way that you would not have if it was at nine or 10.

Speaker 2326.72s - 343.94s

The only downside to your argument about, you know, the mid-tier picks in recent drafts, you know, and being able to get a talent, you know, at least on on the same level, ideally is I've seen some draft heads basically saying stuff like, you know, if Cam Whitmore was in this year's draft, he'd go number one overall in a heartbeat. So it's like, you know, as far as I mean, but you're at three.

Speaker 3344.12s - 366.62s

That's my point, though. That's fair. You're pretty damn close. There should be like, you know, as far as... I mean, but you're at three. That's my point, though. That's fair. You're pretty damn close. There should be some talent there. And so far, credit to you, Ben, you did a kind of a roundup of all the mocks over at Rockets Wire ORG. What some of the, you know, NBA ORG draft analysts are kind of saying right now.And the actual leading contender right now for the Houston Rockets ORG across, what, I've got collected. You tallied eight different mock drafts.

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And then I added my own because the athletics, Kelly Eco PERSON, put out a mock draft via the athletic. So the leading contender right now for the Rockets is actually Donovan Klingin PERSON with four different websites, analysts, whatever, picking him to go to the Rockets number three overall. So far, Tankathon, San Vasini with the Athletic, Kristen Peek from Yahoo Sports ORG, and then NBA draft room all have Donovan Klingin going to the Houston Rockets number three overall. So far, Tankathon, San Vasini with the athletic, Kristen Peake from Yahoo Sports, and then NBA draft room all have Donovan Klingin going to the Houston Rockets number three overall.

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And I, you know, I'm torn on it because I'm really excited by Donovan Klingin PERSON, but there's been some discussion, you know, on social media and whatnot about, okay, can he and Alperin PERSON and coexist? And I think that's almost maybe a little bit premature in this discussion, right? Raffell Stone PERSON made it readily apparent that he is prioritizing the best talent, the best, you know, player available with that third overall pick.And when you look at what the Rockets ORG have, you know, across their roster right now, just throw all that out the window, right? If you think Donovan Klingin is the best possible player that you can get at pick number three, then that's the guy that you should ultimately take. Right.

Speaker 3426.26s - 468.96s

And we're entering a point in the Rockets ORG Rebuild where I do think there's going to be more volatility with the roster moving forward than there has been the last couple of years. In the phase one of the rebuild, it was all about just asset accumulation. And when you're not trying to win, there's nothing more valuable than young guys on cheap rookie contracts with upside. So unless you're just overwhelmed with a trade offer's nothing more valuable than young guys on cheap rookie contracts with upside. So unless you're just overwhelmed with a trade offer, then you just let those guys play, see what they turn into, and hopefully you get lucky.Now that you're going into phase two and eventually phase three, where contracts get more expensive and the team is trying to win eventually at a championship level, there is going to be some harder decisions, some strategic moves, some business of basketball moves that are a little more complicated than just run your young guys out there

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and hope for the best. Business and basketball moves, do you mean the Rockets should use the number three pick on

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Bronny James PERSON so that the VIPs can have filled to sell out the vipers. Yeah, yeah. That was one of the most ridiculous takes that I've ever seen. I'm so sorry. Yeah. But I would just say that in general, you know, and this also goes back to, you know,the expectations for rookies changing. This is not like when you drafted Jaylon or Jabari PERSON at pick two or pick three and you were going to throw them into 30 minutes per game roles immediately. No, it's plausible that if you keep the pick this year, whoever you draft might go to the G League ORG. And that's okay. And so it's probably not going to be until at least year two, probably year three, by the time whoever you draft is ready to play anything close to starters level minutes in the NBA. So in terms of Donovan Klingen PERSON,the question of how exactly does he fit with Alperin Shingoon PERSON? You're probably not going to need an answer to that question until 2026 at the latest, at the earliest, excuse me, if you draft Klingin PERSON. So I'm not going too far down the road now. There's so many things that can change. Your roster might change. Perhaps Klingan or Shingoon or both develops a three point shot. There are so many possibilities between now and then that I don't think it's worth putting that too high on your priority list. Because worst case, even if Klingan plays very well in a 20 minutes per game role as a backup, maybe at the end of year one, all in year two, but Shungoon PERSON is a superstar. He gets the max deal. Everything looks great there.He's your franchise player. Even if all that happens, just as you expect, and there's no roster ofheaval, there's no injuries, well, if Klingan plays well in those 20 minutes per game and he's blocked and they can't play together and it just feels like you're stuck, okay, then if he's as good as you think he is and he develops, then he's going to be a really good trade asset. And you would rather have a really good player who's a good trade asset than a worse player who's a better short term fit. So the bottom line is I'm not saying that fit is not a part of the priority matrix at all. What I'm saying is that it shouldn't be a factor in and of itself.It should be one of many. And so if you think Donovan Klingen PERSON is the best player available, then especially when you look at the timeline, the facts going to take into year two, year three, then I think you take the best player and you worry about the rest later. I don't know that Doddman Klingin PERSON is that guy, but if he is, you should be open to that path.

Speaker 2604.2s - 608.76s

You mentioned this elsewhere too. I think fit is best used as a tiebreaker, right?

Speaker 3608.78s - 669.44s

Like, if you've got two prospects that are very close across the board and you're really torn between them, then absolutely, right? You could factor in, okay, well, you know, maybe Donovan Klingin PERSON makes more sense as like a direct backup five to Shingoon this next season or somebody that can learn under the tutelage of Stephen Adams PERSON, right, a guy that you can slow play the development of. Maybe that fit makes more sense than drafting Rob D Stephen Adams PERSON, right, a guy that you can slow play the development of. Maybe that fit makes more sense than drafting Rob Dillingham, right?Yet another kind of bucket getting, you know, Tugar when you already have a Jalen Green PERSON. You already have a Cam Whitmore PERSON on the roster already. You don't want that many duplicative skill sets across the board. So I do think that is a really great way to kind of factor fit into things after you've already kind of assessed your big board, who the best player available is, all that good stuff. I do want to get to some of the other kind of mock drafts, what some of the other analysts have the rockets doing with that third overall pick,as well as we're going to get to some thoughts from Inaudoka and what he's kind of envisioning for what the Houston Rockets ORG need, what this roster needs, as well as some just miscellaneous news and notes coming out of the draft combine over these first couple days. We're going to get there in just one moment. First, today's episode is brought to you by Fanduel.

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Speaker 2741.36s - 777.82s

And continuing on here at Lockdown Rockets, your daily podcast, home for everything. Houston Rockets ORG basketball. I should, you know, we should temporarily change the name to Locked on NBA draft content because that's basically what we're doing for the next six weeks here, especially with the jump from 9 to 3. Now there's all this extra excitement around the draft.A couple of the other mocks that we have for the Rockets ORG and what they're going to do with pick 3. We had a couple people picking Reed Shepard, Jonathan Gavoni from ESPN, Brian Kulbrowski from For the Win, both selecting Reed Shepard PERSON. We have one pick for Rob Dillingham from Ricky O'Donnell, SB Nation ORG, and then one for Zachary PERSON.Reesachet, is how you say it last year?

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That's like super French NORP. But we're just calling Zach PERSON. That's the super easy way. Zach, we had one pick for him, James Fletcher PERSON. And then Kelly Eco of the Athletic ORG, who people should be familiar with if you're listening or watching the show.Houston Rockets ORG beatwriter. He picked Mattis Buzellis PERSON, which not a completely off-the-wall pick. By the way, we should also note that Jonathan Fagan PERSON, the Chronicle ORG longtime beat writer, he picked Zach PERSON as well.So there's two for him. Fagan's mock just came out after I published my article, he picked Zach as well. So there's two for him. Fagan PERSON's mock just came out after I published my article.

Speaker 2807.84s - 821.46s

Okay, there we go. Good point. Okay, sweet. So a couple picks for Zach PERSON there. Now, what's crazy to me, Ben PERSON, is we've seen, I think the crazy thing about this draft cycle is there isn't a clear-cut guy, right?There's no tier. There's no, like, drop-off.

Speaker 1821.52s - 828.76s

It's not like the year where it was, you know, Jabari, Chet and Paolo PERSON where it's like clearly like the top, the big three at the top of the drop.

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And then a distinct drop off into the tier two of prospects. This year it could be, I mean, I think the only prospect that is maybe that far and above the other guys is maybe Alex Sarge because the way the NBA ORG is trending, his skill set, his measurables, all that. He seems like a guy that's probably going to be a number one or number two overall pick.I see him mocked pretty consistently as the number one guy to the Atlanta Hawks ORG. But even this, like I've seen some people say Reed Shepherd is a reach or you can't take Reed Shepherd third overall. And I don't see why you couldn't. He's going to be a good player in the NBA ORG. Yeah.

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And I will say with the Hawks and Wizards ORG being the teams in front of you, I tend to think that if they stay where they are and they don't trade those picks, then I think based on their situations, they might take the higher upside swings. And I think generally, the international guys appear to have a bit more volatility, i.e., there's a little more risk, but there's also a greater payoff. There's an easier route to see one of those international guys becoming a true superstar,as opposed to a Reed Shepard or a Donovan Klingon. But if you're in Houston GPE spot and you already have a core six and you already have so much upside as is, that I think the rockets are a little more okay with taking someone that, you know, might have a slightly lower ceiling if there's a very good likelihood of them achieving the floor. If you noticed when Rafael Stone PERSON answered your question, he initially said star player and then he added a caveat. He said successful. And I think that's one where I don'tknow if Reed Shepard PERSON can be a star player, but he can be a successful one. And I thought that Rafael PERSON adding that as something of a qualifier was noteworthy given their situation because unlike other teams, the Wizards ORG are in a rebuild already. And I tend to think the Hawks will go down that path because there's been rumors about Trey and Murray PERSON for a while being on the trade market. They seem to be sort of spinning their wheels. And it's an opportunity for them to reset. Then I tend to think they'll, they might take some higher upside swings, which seems to bethe international guys. And so that might leave the college trio, Shepard, Klingan, maybe Rob Dillingham, available to the Rockets ORG. And I think the Rockets ORG where they are, it's not that sealing doesn't matter, but I don't think they have to weigh ceiling quite as heavily as those other teams. The Rockets can be a bit more selective based on the strength of the Young Corps ORG that's already in place.

Speaker 2963.06s - 1005.44s

I like that. And that's a really great. I think that's probably the right approach for the Rockets ORG take if they're keeping this pick. And it's kind of weird because that argument almost seems like you're going, oh,well, you're then arguing fit over best player available. You want to take the best player. You want the biggest swing possible. Well, no, because if you take that big swing and then that player doesn't pan out,if you can get a high floor player, somebody who projects to be a, you know, eight to 10 year kind of NBA ORG player, quality rotation player, gives you solid minutes, maybe, you know, slightly above average, you know, replacement level starter, that kind of outcome. I think you can easily see how Reed Shepard's skill set would translate to the NBA ORG and how he could, you know, conceivably be a long term, you know, at some point NBA ORG level starter with theshooting, with the defense, all of that.

Speaker 31005.82s - 1182.86s

And if it's at all close between Shepard PERSON and Klingin or Shepard and someone else, then the fact that Shepard PERSON is so plug and play and the fact that he fits in so many different roster constructs can be a tiebreaker of sorts. I don't think it should be the singular factor that you consider, but if it's close in regards to his overall package versus someone else and he's so easily moldable in a number of roster constructs, then yeah, that could be the tiebreaker that puts him over the top.And I would just say that for the Rockets ORG, I pointed out the business of basketball argument earlier in the pod as far as the Rockets transitioning to phase two, phase three, and your young guys, Jalen and LP eligible for extensions this off season, and then Jabari and Tari a year later, I'm in and Cam a year after that. So this team is going to get much more expensive. We know that's coming. And so being able to draft, let's say, a high-end role player on a rookie scale deal atsub-MLE money, that is potentially really, really useful to this team. And that's why the more I think about it, the more open I am to just keeping this pick. You know, my initial inclination when they jumped on Sunday afternoon was to try and trade it for veteran help because the Rockets ORG already have a young core. And they want to win big as soon as possible. We know they are ready to take that next step under IMEU doka LAW. Well, most of the big names that are available on the trade market this summer,let's use Brandon Ingram as a hypothetical because that's been thrown out that the Pelicans want to move out to the top of the 2024 draft. Well, no, no, just stay with me. Even if you like Brandon Ingram, he's a free agent in 2025. So it's not just about Brandon Ingram PERSON basketball player. It's also about, okay, does he want to be in Houston GPE? If not, that's a pretty big gamble for a guy that could leave in a year.And then even if he wants to be in Houston, okay, are you an alignment on his role? Are you in alignment on what his next contract is going to look like? Do you believe in him so much that he's going to be a positive value no matter what? Or could this be a Bradley Beal situation where once the guy is given something at the max or close to it and he's in his late 20s, then the value declines to something close to neutral because he's no longer a value. And then all of a sudden, you're giving up way more this summer than you would get in a future trade if for some reason the fit isn't there. There's just a lot of questions. And Ingram's one example. You can say the same thing, though, with Lori Marketing, Donovan Mitchell PERSON, guys that are a little higher in. Most of the names conceivably on the market are 2025 free agents.That's very just by default uncertain. And if you get a guy with four years of club control below market labor, that is very, very valuable for a team that's going to be more expensive. As opposed to the trade route, most of the guys on the market are going to be guys on short-term contracts. So you're probably going to have to give them a raise. There's a lot more uncertainty. Not saying that it can't all line up. It can.There's just a lot more questions. There's a lot more nuance to it than I think we initially thought Sunday afternoon when the rockets get this high pick. And it's like, we, you know, we can move this for, you know, big name star, whoever's in the market in the next month. You might can, but there's a lot of things that really need to line up.

Speaker 21183.16s - 1321.82s

And I think it's a fantastic point to bring up that, you know, the, the monetary incentive of keeping this pick and being able to have somebody under club control for four years on sub-MLE money, right? That is the best, a first-round draft pick having control on that player for four years is the best monetary value you get for a player. As long as that player actually, you know, pans out, becomes a rotation player, start, or whatever,that's the best money you get on an NBA ORG contract, aside from, you know, pans out, becomes a rotation player, start, or whatever, that's the best money you get on an NBA contract, aside from, you know, a true blue superstar talent, like Nikola Yokic or Janice Senecoumpo PERSON on, like, an actual max deal, because obviously those players are worth even more than the max contract that they have, but the NBA ORG stipulates you can only pay a player X amount of money, so they're capped out where they are.But when we're looking at what this Rockets ORG team ultimately needs to improve on, there's a lot of areas, right, that we can look at this past season and point to, shooting being one of the number one areas that they need a lot of improvement in. Kelly Eco PERSON mentioned him earlier in the pot. He's actually in Chicago at the draft combine. He had a chance to talk to IME Udoka, and Udoca PERSON said this about what they're kind of lookingfor as far as areas of improvement when it comes to the roster. Udoca said, we're trying to have internal growth with our guys we have first and foremost. But shooting is always at a premium. So you look at that. Versatility across the board with how we defend and want to play. And well-rounded players.We want shot creation as well, trying to cover all the bases. And with that third pick, you can do that with a lot of these players. So, well, I will say, we're discussing this third pick and whether the Rockets keep it, trade it, all the bases. And with that third pick, you can do that with a lot of these players. So, while I will say, we're discussing this third pick and whether the Rocketskeep it, trade it, all this stuff, there's been a lot of things, a lot of some reporting to suggest that the Rockets ORG are going to beincredibly aggressive in trying to trade that pick, probably for a win now player. We had Adrian Woznarowski at the draft lottery discussing that the Rocketswere going to be, you know, very aggressive in pushing that pick. We know that there was reporting that Raffell Stone PERSON was even, you know, visiting the idea of swapping the remaining Brooklyn Nets assets with Brooklyn for the future of the Sun's assets they currently own by way of the Kevin Durant PERSON trade. So we know that these picks, the Brooklyn picks, which obviously this one just turned into the number three overall pick,have been shopped around previously. So I don't know if it's easier for the Rockets ORG to, I guess, address those team needs, right? The shooting, the shot creation, the versatility. If it's easier for them to address that with a maybe a high floor rookie with the third overall pick or at the end of the day dealing that for a win now veteran who maybe checks more of those boxes.

Speaker 31322.44s - 1485.96s

There's another part of this equation though that needs to be considered. And that's the non-tax payer mid-level exception, which offers a starting salary at nearly $15 million per year these days. That's a pretty sizable chunk of change, and you can get a quality player this summer. So you already have a nine-man rotation as is, and you have the ability to add a quality 10th player if you choose to do so. So that has to be a part of this thinking as is. And you have the ability to add a quality 10th player if you choose to do so. So that has to bea part of this thinking as well. Why would you use the number three pick to add a player if it's comparable to what you could get with a non-taxpayer mid-level exception? And then you keep your number three and you add that on top of it. That's what you've got to consider. And so I keep going back to the fact that there's a very high bar. If the player checks all the boxes financially in terms of basketball impact and so on and so forth, then yeah, I could see it being worthwhile. But it's harder than you might think. Because if it's a little lower in terms of the basketball value, then why wouldn't you just use your MLE and get someone ofcomparable value without using your draft capital and use your draft capital on someone that has more long term upside because of his age, because of the club control in terms of the amount of years, and so on and so forth. So that just makes a little more challenging in that, yes, I see the case for adding a 10th win now player, another veteran to your team that can help out in some of these areas. But if you can do it with the MLE ORG, then yeah, you can make a little bit more of a long-term upside bet with the pick. And that's what, honestly, you know, the best teams do.The best teams have a continual pipeline so that if you do lose some of your veterans because of the business of basketball, because your team gets more expensive, because there are some team building penalties under the new CBA ORG as teams get more expensive, then you have younger guys internally that you're constantly developing to step into larger roles. And I think that's what this pick is an opportunity to do. And, you know, Emey PERSON mentioned, you know, shooting and shot creation. And that points to, you know, Reed Shepard and perhaps to a lesser extent, Rob Dillingham. I would agree with the way most people read that. But I also think that the emphasis on versatile defending, I think back to what Eme said when a year ago, he was introduced in Houston GPE at his initial press conference.He talked about getting different types of bigs alongside Alperin and Shungoon PERSON. We know at the time he was alluding to a pursuit of Brooke Lopez PERSON. It didn't work out. There are a lot of similarities, at least defensively, between Donovan Klingin and Brooke Lopez PERSON. Now, Klingan still needs to develop the three-point shot to be a true five out the way Lopez PERSON was and still is to an extent. But Klingin PERSON seems to be confident in that.I'm sure the Rockets ORG will do their due diligence in this process. And so if he checks those boxes, then I think he potentially fits that criteria as well, because when EMA ORG talks about defending differently, that's not just in terms of perimeter defense. That's also potentially interior defense. We know they tried to address it last offseason. Potentially they could in the draft as well. I don't think it will be the only criteria they consider, but it will be a part of the package.

Speaker 21486.32s - 1520.98s

That's why I'm firmly in the camp, because I've had these discussions before, and I even, when I was kind of floating the idea of, you know, would Eric Gordon be open to a return to Houston GPE, right? If, you know, obviously things ended very poorly in Phoenix GPE, and that situation over there is, you know, close to untenable.You know, the issue here, even though, yes, the Rockets have the MLE ORG, they could throw that at a player, sometimes the money is not just enough. Sometimes a player wants a, a clear role on a team.And I think it's a lot harder to sign a player outright with the MLE ORG and say, hey, we don't necessarily have like a clear cut, like you're going to get a guarantee20, 25, 30 in night or whatever.

Speaker 01521.46s - 1624.5s

And then who do you ultimately take those minutes away from? I think that becomes maybe a little bit harder. And it's easier, like you said, if you keep the pick and you have a team, you know, a team controlled player for four years, somebody that you can develop, that you can, you know, stick behind the scenes, say, hey, we're not giving you minutes right away, right?We're focused on your development. Very similar to what they do with Cam Whitmore PERSON, right? Raffel Stone PERSON mentioned that in his post lottery press conference when he talked about the fact that they're not worried about not having minutes to develop somebody or not being able to throw them into the mix the way that Jalen and Shingun PERSON were their rookieseasons. They can slow play it, grow somebody behind the scenes a little bit and make sure that player is ready to go when the time comes when it's time to call their number. But we have a few more, we've got some news and notes just from the NBA ORG draft combinethat we want to tackle some things about Reed Shepard, Donovan Klingin PERSON, Stefan Castle, and a few other names that we're going to get to here in just one moment. First, today's episode is brought to you by Prize Picks ORG. Prize Picks is America's number one fantasy sports app with more than 3 million members. It's the easiest and most exciting way to get in on the action while you watch your favorite sports and players.You just pick more or less on two or more players' stats and watch the winnings roll in. Prize Picks ORG really is so simple to play. You can make your picks and submit an entry in less than 60 seconds, quick withdrawals, easy gameplay, and an enormous selection of different players and stat types are what makes prize picks the number one DFS app on the market.And right now, it's not too late. You can still get in on the playoff action and went up to 100 times your money with prize picks as you and the world's best players take the game to a new level during the NBA postseason. So if you've been thinking about trying out daily fantasy sports, give prize picks a chance, download the app today and use code locked on MBA ORG for a firstdeposit match up to $100. Again, go grab the app and use code locked on NBA for a first deposit match up to $100. Prize picks. Pick more, pick less, it's that easy. Looking for an assist with

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Speaker 21652.66s - 1721.5s

your daily podcast, home for everything. Houston Rockets ORG basketball. Ben PERSON, you know, at the end of that last segment, you mentioned Donovan Klingin's PERSON confidence at, you know, building up and working on that three-point shot. That really seems to be kind of a selling point for him at the draft combine.He's really trying to gas himself up as a shooter. And I don't think that's necessarily something that is going to translate right away. But it's definitely a skill set where you see everything that he's capable of right now, the way that he is a defense, you know, altering type player, right? Very much in line with a Rudy Gobert type or a Brooke Lopez PERSON type where you kind of fundamentally change your defensive scheme to accommodate him and to play to hisstrengths, right, funneling guys into the interior, right, really clogging up the paint, protecting the rim, all that. If you can suddenly, if you can project down the line, even if it's four or five years down the line, that a defensive presence like that can also, you know, add a substantial three-point shot to his game, even just to the point where he keeps defense honest and he's a respectable three-point shooter. Doesn't have to be a knockdown guy. Doesn't have to be 40%. That becomes a really enticing piece, right? That's exactly what the rockets were pursuingwhen they tried to go after Brooke Lopez in the first place this past off season. And we should note

Speaker 31721.5s - 1908.16s

that Alperin Shungoon is just 21 years old and he's constantly working on his jump shot as well. To stick with the Lopez analogy, so Brooke was drafted in 2008. It was not until the 2016 to 2017 at the end of 2016, eight years into the league until he started shooting threes. So you don't have to have all the answers immediately. And I think that's what's sort of misguided about some of the draft analysis that I've seen. You don't have to know day one how these guys are going to fit together. Because spoiler alert, even if you do draft Ivan Klingin, all for French and Gung, G-Gun is going to be way better than him on day one. And if you keep Stephen PERSON Adams, he's probably going to be better as well. So Klingan may play in the G-League. And perhaps by the end of your one, he's pushing Stephen Adams for some backup minutes, assuming you keep Stephen and you don't use him as salary filler, which would be an option. By the time, Klingan PERSON would be good enough to justify enough minutes in terms of, you know, 25 or more to where there might be a little bit of a conflict between Klingin and Schengun PERSON.We're going to be so far down the line in all likelihood that there's just going to be time for so, there's going to be so many potential variables that could change over that time not just in terms of the roster but just the players themselves and the three point shot is a good example some somebody can develop that type of skill that completely transforms their ability as a player and the lineups that they can be put on the court with it's just there's so much unknown and cam whitmoremore PERSON is a good example. If we were talking lastJuly or August and trying to project Cam Whitmore PERSON as a rookie, we would have never seen a scenario where he got the playing time than he did, that he ended up better than Reggie Bullock PERSON, who was a starting level player the previous season. Now, the Rockets did not have Bullock PERSON yet, but stick with me as far as the hurdles that Cam had to overcome. We also would not have guessed that he'd be playing over Kevin Porter Jr. PERSON But Kevin Porter Jr. lost his mind and basically got himself kicked out of the NBA ORG. This stuff happens. And that's just in the span of a few months. If we're talking about years, which is typically the development curve when we talk abouttaking a rookie and taking him into being worthy of actually worthy of 30 minutes. I think this is where Rockets ORG fans get lost. Yeah, Jalen and Jabari played 30 minutes per game as rookies. It's not because they deserved it. It's because the Rockets ORG were basically tanking and there were no stakes. So they said, what the hell? Let's just see what happens.No, if we're talking about putting a new rookie into a situation where he's actually playing minutes and earning minutes on a team trying to win, it's probably going to take two, three years. And by that point, it's probably going to take two, three years. And by that point, there's so many things that can change, both in terms of the roster, the players themselves. I just don't think it's worth waiting all that heavily. As a tiebreaker, if you come to the end of your draft process and you say, wow, I rate, let's say, Reed Shepard and Doddman Klingin PERSON almost identical, then, yeah, I would supportthen drafting Reed Shepard PERSON because there's a bit more utility. He fits in a larger number of configurations. If it's a tiebreaker, sure. But if you come to the end of your process and say, wow, Jonathan Klingin PERSON is the best guy on my board that I don't think you not, I don't think you say, no, I'm not taking them no matter what. And I'm going to take a player that I view as less just because it's easier for me to plot out exactly what his long term fit is going to be.

Speaker 21908.74s - 1921.84s

No, fantastic points made there. And, you know, elsewhere when we look at kind of what we've, what we've witnessed so far from the draft combine, a few other things that we want to make sure we tackle here. Reed Shepherd has impressed so far with through his movement shooting drills, knocking down

Speaker 31921.84s - 1927.6s

shot. So the shooting is very real. Yeah, but the 42 inch vertical. That's pretty crazy, dude.

Speaker 21927.96s - 1952.08s

And you know, and it's funny because here's the thing is, I see people clowning Reed Shepherd say, oh, he's too small, he's not going to survive anything. The rockets were literally just lifted to a 41 and 41 season with a six foot tall point guard in Fred Van. I'm taller than Fred Van Vleet PERSON.Like, I stand next to the guy in scrums. Fred Van Vleet is like listed at six feet tall. I don't know if he's actually six feet tall.

Speaker 31952.16s - 1953.08s

Yeah, I think he's like 511.

Speaker 21953.34s - 1990.48s

So like when I tell you that when you look at the skill set that Reed Shepard PERSON has, I think there have been some drafty analysts who have actually comped him to a Fred Van Vleet PERSON type, right? Like Fred Van Vleet PERSON light, right? The shot making, be able to shoot, you know, off the dribble, off the catch, movement shooter, absolute lights out shooting. The defensive intensity.The vertical's kind of nice for a guy that was, you know, reportedly athletically challenged. Obviously, athleticism has a lot more to do with just, you know, your standing vertical. But, you know, I do think that people are kind of underrating the impact that Reed Shepard's going to have one day in the NBA ORG.And here's a side note. I would hate to see Reed Shepard go to San Antonio GPE.

Speaker 01990.92s - 1994.5s

I would hate to see him go to San Antonio GPE and flourish into an All-Star.

Speaker 31994.92s - 2001.98s

Like that would be the exact kind of like turn of fate is like, okay, the Rockets don't take Reed Shepard and he falls to San Antonio either at four or eight or whatever.

Speaker 02002.18s - 2016.66s

And suddenly they turn him into an All-star if they don't, you know, swoop in and go get Trey Young PERSON. But yeah, Reed Sheper PERSON has been really good. And here's my, here's my sneaky pick and the guy that I'm slowly falling in love with more than any otherprospect, Stefan Castle PERSON, who I think has a chance.

Speaker 32016.76s - 2017.56s

Madison ORG's selling you.

Speaker 22017.8s - 2030.82s

Madison has sold me real quick on Stefan Castle PERSON. And the more that I've watched him, the more that I've heard about him. And then obviously he crushed it in the three-point shooting drill at the more that I've heard about him and then obviously he crushed it in the three point shooting drill at the comm I shot 18 of 25, 70%.Now I know these drills are

Speaker 02030.82s - 2051.6s

you know they're not live game scenarios they're different it's just a shooting drill but that's kind of the hang up on right is if the shot is real with him everything else is off the charts so like that he could potentially beboth a safe pick, like a high floor player and also a crazy upside pick if the shooting is really there. Yeah. And in today's NBA ORG,

Speaker 32051.6s - 2103.6s

you can never have enough switchable wings, even though you have a men Thompson PERSON and Tarry Easton and Dylan Brooks. Number one, your roster may change, as we were just describing in the Donovan Klingin scenarios. You shouldn't act like the roster you have now is necessarily going to be what it looks like in two years. Some of these guys may not be here for one reason or another. Some of them may decline. You never know how development's going to happen. And even if, you know, it turns out you have way too many switchable wings that, okay, that's a good problem to have. In worst case, you know, you've got a good trade bait.You should evaluate Stefan Castle PERSON on his own merits. I agree with you. The other thing that I would say, as far as Reed Shepard's PERSON size, keep in mind that the Rockets ORG, this is not just about one draft prospect. This is about the entire core six. The Rockets ORG are pretty consistently drafted on certainly upside,but also I would say extreme length and athleticism. In the last two draft classes, and Men Thompson, Kim Whitmore PERSON.

Speaker 22103.6s - 2106.34s

He's a 42-inchvert extreme athleticism? I'm asking for a friend.

Speaker 32106.58s - 2114.14s

Well, it is, it is. It is. I'm just saying because he's six foot three, because he's a little undersized and whatnot. You know the way people are going to look at this and say,

Speaker 22114.22s - 2115.86s

well, he's not a jumbo hooper.

Speaker 32116.48s - 2204.18s

Yeah, and you're putting him next to, you know, as currently constructed, and again, that can change, but as currently constructed, your back court is Fred Benfleet PERSON, who's definitely undersized,and Shailen Green PERSON, who's probably a little bit undersized for his position. So I get the concern. But the last four, the last two years, last four first-run picks from those two years. So Amin-Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Tari-Eason PERSON, Jabari Smith, Jr. Those were all basically four long, uber athletic, switchable wings.I consider Jabari PERSON for the most part of wing. I know he can slide to center, but the way the rockets use him for the most part, and this is before Alperin Shingun PERSON got hurt, I think you would throw him in that wing tier, with Shingun PERSON primarily being your big. And so you have these wings.And then, of course, you've got Fredman PERSON fleet as your primary ball handler, Aaron Holliday PERSON backing him up. So you've already got a ton of long, uber athletic wings that can, and quite frankly, they already are, offset the fact that your guards might be a little bit on the small side. And so while I've said throughout this podcast that you shouldn't draft based on the roster as is, I don't think that's true with any, you shouldn't do that in relation to any like one or two players. But when you look at the entire team, the Rockets ORG do collectively have a lot of length,a lot of athleticism to where I think you can survive being, you know, a little undersized. I think he's dramatically undersized, just a little undersized, especially if he's an explosive athlete,which can overcome some of it. And especially if he can shoot at a high level, which pairs so well with what the rockets want to do and fit so well around the pieces they have as currently constructed.

Speaker 22204.58s - 2234.08s

And just to add on to the point that you just made, kind of the inverse of the point that you're making is there's a very clear draft philosophy here with Rafael Stone PERSON, right? He has prioritized a very select group of players, length, athleticism, all the past couple years. So if anything, there's some historical precedent for the type of player that he might belooking to pursue in this year's draft. So maybe Reed Shepard PERSON actually doesn't fit that mold, despite some of the, you know, the standout things that we've seen, the skills, all that. Maybe that doesn't jump off the paper as far as the internal evaluations that the rockets are making.

Speaker 32234.52s - 2240.8s

It might not, although the 42 inch vertical definitely makes it jump a little bit more. But no, I think the rockets are just a very interesting.

Speaker 22241.02s - 2242.06s

Get out of here with your puns.

Speaker 32242.9s - 2388.14s

I think the rockets are just a very interesting team because for the most part, the teams at the top of the lottery are desperate. There's a reason they're at the top of the lottery. And so I mentioned the Hawks and Wizards ORG. I tend to think they'll go for higher upside swings because they don't have a lot as currently constructed that they really like. The Rockets ORG do. So if they stay with Pick 3, which is the hypothetical that we're going under at the moment,because that's the way things are right now on May 14th, then Houston GPE has a little more flexibility than most teams do. I think the last few years, the Rockets ORG were so down on their luck that you sort of had to just go for the biggest swings, hope for the best, because what else do you have?As opposed to now that you feel pretty good about the depth of talent and the team as a whole, then, you know, maybe you can think a little more strategically about, you know, not just when I say fit, I don't just mean fit relative to the roster that you have at this given moment. It can also be fit in regards to, you know, the role of, say, an elite shooter on a contending team. I think that's something that disproportionately has more value as you get into bigger situationsand the defenses become all the more difficult to unlock. I think that's something that when you get into a playoff format, we see all the time. A lot of guys who can't shoot get sort of played off the floor in these playoff settings. And so guys that have high end upside as shooters become even more important. And so when we say fit, it's not just like saying, oh, how they fit with the roster at present. It's also how they fit in regards to a contending team down the line.Most teams at the top of a lottery aren't considering that because they've just got to get off the ground floor. They've got to do whatever it takes to get them out of pure hell if you're the Washington Wizards, for example. The Hawks ORG aren't quite there. I think the Hawks are sort of a weird situation in that we know there's some, you know, some upheaval that's likely on the way related to Tray Young and DeJante Murray. We've heard that for a while. The Rockets ORG are a rare team that actually feels good about where they are now and should be even better in the near future based on the age of their current team,yet still has a high lottery pick. So I think, not saying for sure it will lead to different criteria for Raffel Stone PERSON, but it potentially could lead to some different criteria relative to the last, at least the first couple of years to rebuild, but I think they were just sort of like, look, we've just got to take the biggest upside swingthat we can and hope for the best.

Speaker 22388.76s - 2401.14s

We want to know how you're feeling about the Houston Rockets number three overall pick. Which prospects are you most interested by? What stood out to you about our discussion in today's show? Let us know in the YouTube ORG comments. But Ben PERSON, let everyone know where they can track you down at.

Speaker 32402.02s - 2409s

Yep. Ben Dubos on Twitter ORG, the Rocketswire and the Logger ORG line on the same, and rocketswired.usat today.com for all your daily Houston Rockets ORG news coverage.

Speaker 22409.68s - 2433.76s

That's going to do it for another edition of Locked on Rockets ORG. As always, thank you so much for checking out the show. If you haven't done so yet, please consider subscribing wherever you listen to your podcast or on YouTube. Just search Lockdown Rockets ORG. Be sure to like, comment and subscribe. And if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, a five-star review helps us out a ton. But as always, thank you so much for watching.Thank you so much for listening. And we look forward to having you back right here at Locked-on Rockets WORK_OF_ART, your daily podcast home for everything, Houston Rockets Basketball ORG.