Houston Rockets 2015 NBA Draft: What if… Delon Wright?

Houston Rockets 2015 NBA Draft Prospect: Delon Wright

What if the Houston Rockets wanted to add depth at the PG behind Patrick Beverley and possibly another scorer to the back-court, therefore drafting Delon Wright out of the University of Utah?

Feb 28, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes guard Delon Wright (55) shoots the ball during the second half against the Arizona Wildcats at Jon M. Huntsman Center. The Wildcats won 63-57. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

On June 25th another set of lives will change forever, 60 young stars will join the NBA and help play vital roles on almost every team in the league. It’s looking as if the Rockets will trade picks due to a conditional deal with the Pelicans for Omer Asik, putting Houston at pick 18 for the time being. The front office has plenty of options with players like Justise Winslow, Zhou Qi, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kris Dunn all entering this year’s draft, all three have also been highlighted on What if…? recently.

Find out why Delon Wright can be the guy to get the job done for Houston…

Overview:

A senior at the Univeristy of Utah, the 6’5, 190 lb. leader played his way to becoming the Bob Cousey Point Guard of the Year in 2015. Delon Wright is a special player who played four years of college ball and has grown the entire way. He started at the City College of San Francisco and transferred to Larry Krystkowiak’s Utah Utes program where he became a two way threat.

Wright is a natural scorer and some of that can be attributed to genes. Delon’s older brother, Dorell, is a veteran in the NBA and has played for a few different teams including the Portland Trailblazers and Golden State Warriors.

Wright also wasn’t certain of his future after the 2013-2014 season at Utah. He planned to join the league, although his stock wasn’t as high as it could have been. According to the Houston Chronicle, after some inspiring words from his coach and brother, Delon decided to stay and lead the Utes his senior-season, as well as finish his Sociology degree.

Could this little-known Delon Wright be one of the best college basketball players ever? » http://t.co/pWCxQ3ELP3 pic.twitter.com/QKuBSwEw25

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) December 10, 2014

2014-2015 NCAA Stats for the University of Utah:

14.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG & 5.1 APG
Shoots 50.9% from the field, 35.6% from three-point land
Averaged a block and 2.1 steals a game
2015 Bob Cousey Point Guard of the Year
Second Team All-American
Sweet-16 Appearance

DraftExpress only spots three weaknesses for Wright, those being his pull-up jumper, finishing at the NBA level and his age. A jump shot is something he can improve, he can work with other shooting coaches at the next level and figure that out. Finishing at the next level is another skill that will develop over time, he played with two 7-footers at Utah and I don’t see why that would be a reason not to draft him. Lastly, his age, Wright will turn 23 in late April making him one of the older players in the draft. Draft Express states the “He is what he is for the most part. Doesn’t have much upside,” which is where I disagree. Wright is still only 23 and with some extra muscle can really become a dominant force with his polished attack towards the rim.

Best Qualities:

Can play both Guard positions
Lanky arms that make him a solid defensive player
Can pass with the best of them
Scores when needed
Developed rookie that can make an impact right away

Mar 19, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Utah Utes guard Delon Wright (55) dunks the basketball against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks during the first half in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Our other in-house PG pick for the Rockets is Kris Dunn who is beginning to slide up draft boards and besides for a few others at the top of the draft, the point guards are slim to a few this year. Most Rockets fans are behind Patrick Beverley and enjoy seeing Mr. 94-Feet lock-up opposing guards, but bringing in Wright wouldn’t only add offense, it would also add length to the Rockets stable of guards.

Houston Ties

This one is going to be short and sweet because Delon Wright isn’t linked to Clutch City too much. He was born in Los Angeles, attended HS and junior college in California until deciding on the Utah Utes over Gonzaga, Washington and a few other big offers.

Although he played a few games in the state of Texas in his few year’s at Utah, his most important game of his career was played in Houston. The very last game of Wright’s career in the NCAA was at Houston’s NRG Stadium agianst the Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet 16.

Mar 27, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Justise Winslow (bottom) battles for a loose ball against Utah Utes guard Delon Wright (top) during the first half in the semifinals of the south regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Delon and the Utes landed the 5th-seed in the South Regional and after taking care of Stephen F. Austin and Georgetown, the Utes matched up with Coach K’s squad led by freshman. Wright was held to 10 points, 6 assists and 3 steals as Utah fell to the eventual champions. He had nothing to hang his head about, a great tournament run capping off a fantastic career, and now GM Daryl Morey can draft him so that he can finish a season in Houston the correct way…with a with huge gold trophy.

Projections

As projections continue to change every day depending on who you ask, one thing is certain, Delon Wright is a first-round draft pick. Bleacher Report has him as the 30th pick, last of the first-round to Golden State. NBA Draft.net has Wright going 21st to the Chicago Bulls while DraftExpress has him going 29th to the Atlanta Hawks who then trade him to Brooklyn.

As mentioned, there are a lot of different scenarios for the Rockets, players such as Bobby Portis and Sam Dekker have been thrown around but why not plug-in a smart, defensive point guard with experience who can score the ball?

Wright’s senior stat line compares with players such as Draymond Green, Tyreke Evans and Dwayne Wade but expect him to be more of a Michael Carter-Williams(-like) player. He can run the team, see over the defense and give James Harden some help when Beverley is off the court.

Let us know down below how you feel about the Rockets drafting Delon Wright, or who you think they should get in the comments section below? Stay tuned to Space City Scoop for Draft info, season awards and much more!

Next: ICYMI: Draft Prospect Justise Winslow

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