NBA Draft: Houston Rockets get a steal in Jeremy Lamb

With the 12th pick the Rockets called Lamb’s name and got a steal in my opinion. Draft Express had him projected to go 8th overall to the Toronto Raptors. Luckily, they took Terrence Ross instead. If i was Kevin Martin, this is when i start packing my bags.

Jeremy Lamb

Position: Shooting Guard

Height: 6’5

Weight: 180

School: Connecticut Huskies (UCONN)

2011-2012 Stats: 17.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 37 minutes a game.

Video: http://youtu.be/jSlEx-m6B6s

GM Daryl Morey wanted to trade up into the top 10 in the draft to potentially select Lamb’s teammate Andre Drummond. After that fell through the Rockets decided to stay put in the draft with their three picks and select who they thought were the best players available. Jeremy Lamb fell right into the Rockets lap and Houston made the right decision selecting Jeremy.

Lamb is very similar to Kevin Martin, only better. Everything Martin can’t do, Lamb can, and he’s above average at it. Martin has no defensive ability in his body. Lamb has a 7ft wingspan and uses all of it to affect his opponents shot. Lamb has a lot of quickness and makes all the right decisions defensively. He can block shots, rebound and pick-pocket his opponent just as good as anyone in this draft class at his position. Lamb could potentially make a few NBA All-Defensive teams in his future.

Lamb has the potential to be a star on the offensive end. I wouldn’t be surprised if he averaged 20-25 points a game in a couple of years. He has a deadly jumper, above average ball-handling skills, slashes to the basket and a unstoppable floater inside the paint. His one dribble stop and pop can’t be guarded, especially with his 7ft wingspan. With that wingpsan he can get any shot he wants on virtually any defender. He has above average athletic ability and can dunk with the best of them. Rockets fans will love his high-octane offensive abilities. He can start in the NBA right now if needed, which means Martin should be gone soon. The Rockets could bring back Courtney Lee to start for the next two years and hand the keys over to Lamb after that.

Lamb does have some things to work on. His weaknesses on the offensive end are he shoots to many jumpers. He handles the ball well and can finish at the rim. He needs to use that more often to throw his opponent off and make it harder on him. Instead, Lamb makes it harder on himself at times. Jeremy Needs to spread his game out. He also needs to be more of a willing passer. He only averaged 1.7 assists in two seasons with the Huskies. He Needs to work on his court vision and look for his teammates when they’re open or when he’s struggling.

Defensively his weaknesses can be corrected easily. He just needs to start spending a lot more time in the weight room. Lame Needs to get a lot stronger. He always gets caught between picks and can’t fight over it. His frame is to big and long to only weigh 180 pounds. He should put on 15-20 pounds and spend a ton of time in the weight room in the offseason. If he does that he will be fine.

I love the Jeremy Lamb pick and i expect the Rockets to benefit from it immeadiately. He’s a great kid with a great attitude. He’s quiet, but he plays hard. I can see Jeremy being a very popular player with the Houston crowd. Will he ever be a superstar? Maybe. Maybe not. Lets jut let the kid play and see how far he develops. I do know one thing. Lamb is going to be around for a long, long time.