2016 Houston Rockets Draft Prospect Series: Henry Ellenson, Marquette

The Houston Rockets enter the upcoming 2016 NBA Draft without a top draft pick by virtue of making the post season. Unfettered the Rockets still hope to nab a star prospect with the potential to effect immediate results. Over the next month SCS will look at the draft prospects with a view to team fit and what moves would need to occur to get that pick. Is Henry Ellenson a prospect worth trading for?

Draft Prospect:

Specifics:

Height: 6’11”
Weight: 230
Country: America – Rice Lake WI
Position: Power Forward
Age: 19
Reach: 9.0″
Wingspan: 7’2″
College or Pro League: Marquette, Freshman
Stat line: 33 Games, 17.0 Points Per Game, 9.7 Rebounds Per Game, 1.8 Assists Per Game

Current Rank:

ESPN Chad Ford: 7th
Draft Express: 13th
NBA Scott Howard Cooper: 9th
Bleacher Report: 9th

The Skills:

Henry Ellenson is often compared to Kevin Love given his complete game. He can play close to the basket or stretch the court. Is an able rebounder, passer and ball handler. Like his NBA comparison the area of his game needing work is defense.

One interesting fact is his actual physical stats vary which one could assume was due to a weight loss regime but I also found 3 different heights listed with a low of 6’10” and a high of 7’0″, so I chose to split the difference.

Another plus for the big man was electing to stay near his home town for college when he could have played with other colleges who boasted far greater talent. It helped expedite the growth of the youngsters game ans defenses keyed in on him being the main offensive threat for Wisconsin.

Honors and Awards:

As per Wikipedia:

First-team All-Big East (2016)
Big East Freshman of the Year (2016)
McDonald’s All-American (2015)
First-team Parade All-American (2015)
Wisconsin Mr. Basketball (2015)
Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year (2015)

The Fit:

Like Dragan Bender offers upside at power forward, so too does Henry Ellenson. And exactly the same arguments can be made here.

Final Thoughts

More from Space City Scoop

Ultimately decisions need to be made closer to home regarding the futures of Donatas Motiejunas, Terrence Jones and even Josh Smith before the team can start trading away assets for a player who is listed in the 9-13 lottery portion of the draft.

If the Rockets intend on getting a pick it makes more sense for them to target Dragan Bender via a trade should that be the case. Or go all out and try to nab Ben Simmons. Unlikely Philly or the Lakers will want to part with that pick however without substantial returns via assets.

Be sure to check out our continuing Draft Prospect Series and our Year End Player Reviews!

Next: Houston Rockets SCS Roundtable Part 1

Next: Houston Rockets SCS Roundtable Part 2

Next: Houston Rockets SCS Roundtable Part 3

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