In early August, three journalists from The Athletic took part in a “21 and under” selection exercise in which each participant selected a team of eight players all aged under 22.
During this exercise, four Houston Rockets players were selected, which shows that the national media has a high opinion of the team’s young core.
The first Rockets player to leave the board was Alpen Sengunwho was chosen with the third overall selection behind Victor Wembanyama And Paolo BancheroSengun’s placement in the top three picks comes after the standout big man averaged 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, five assists and 1.2 steals per game in 2023-24.
Sengun’s performance earned the 22-year-old a third-place finish in last year’s Most Improved Player vote.
“Sengun emerged as the Rockets’ best player last season and is flirting with stardom,” Kelly Iko wrote for The Athletic. “I’m sure people are tired of the Nikola Jokić “Sengun is a true offensive center with a mix of footwork and old-school post play with his back to the basket who can start the action from anywhere in the half-court. Just surround him with cutters, floor spacers and high-IQ players and let the Turkish wizard cook.”
The next Houston player selected was Jabari Smith Jr.who was the first pick of the third round and the 7th overall pick. After struggling a bit as a rookie, Smith made a huge improvement in his sophomore year, averaging 13.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 36.3 percent from beyond the arc on five attempts per game.
From his freshman to his sophomore year, Smith saw his stats increase in points, rebounds, assists, steals, field goal percentage and three-point percentage. A reliable shooter from the perimeter at 6’2″, Smith has a unique skill set that makes the former Auburn star a valuable asset to Ime Udoka and his teammates.
Two picks later, Iko selected the Rockets’ point guard Amen Thompsonwho averaged 9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 53.6 percent from the field. While Thompson has yet to develop a consistent three-point shot, the All-Rookie honoree is an elite athlete who still has plenty to show in his game.
After selecting Thompson, Iko chose the Houston forward Cam Whitmore ranked 10th overall.
A former high school prospect who was drafted after suffering an injury in college, Whitmore averaged 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in his second year in the NBA. At just 20 years old, Whitmore, like Thompson, still has elements of his game that were prevalent in high school that he has yet to showcase on the NBA court.
The last Rockets player selected was a rookie guard Reed Sheppardwho was the 22nd overall pick, also by Iko.
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