NBA Draft: The Rockets select De’Anthony Melton at No. 46

The Rockets decided to pick a guard out of USC with the No. 46 pick in the NBA Draft.

The Houston Rockets did not, in fact, trade into the first round in this year’s draft. They did, however, select guard De’Anthony Melton with the 46th pick.

The rights to Melton now belong to the Rockets. He was an absolute steal, as many projected him to go much earlier in the draft.

At 6’4, 190 lbs, De’Anthony Melton has good size for a point guard and average size for a shooting guard. He should fit right into the Rockets defensively as that is where he really thrives. He can turn into a Patrick Beverley-like player at some point, possibly. We’ll have a more complete breakdown of Melton in a post tomorrow.

Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table

The Rockets decided to stay put and select in the second round. Let’s examine their night:

Draft night for the Rockets

While there wasn’t much action, the Rockets still had some interesting storylines going on throughout the first round. Before the draft, it was looking like they wanted to move into the mid-lottery to select one of the better prospects. They were also looking at Grayson Allen out of Duke, who unfortunately was picked by the Utah Jazz in the middle of the first round.

They didn’t quite get who they may have wanted in the first round, but they still were able to get a steal in De’Anthony Melton. Some drafts, like CBS Sports, had him going as high as 20th overall!

*Update* The Rockets also traded and selected Vincent Edwards at No. 52. We will have further analysis on him tomorrow.

Next: Expectations before the draft

Melton might not make an immediate impact this season, but with the proper growth and shooting help, he could be a great two-way role player for the Rockets at some point. We are certainly trusting in the front office and realizing that they know what’s best for the team! At least they didn’t draft and stash.