Former Rockets draft bust is lighting up the G-League with his new team

TyTy Washington Jr., although not technically a draft pick of the Houston Rockets, is widely considered one of their few draft failures of recent years after the organization traded down for him on draft night at the expense of two second-round picks.

While he only spent his disappointing rookie season in Houston, Washington has since found his footing in the G-League with the San Diego Clippers. This season, he is averaging 18.9 points, five rebounds and 5.6 assists while shooting 44.3% from 3-point range through his first 11 games.

The Rockets ultimately came out of the 2022 Draft with both Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason, making Washington's limited NBA career a moot point from an organizational standpoint. Nevertheless, it's pleasant to see a former Rocket excel in a new situation.

TyTy Washington Jr. is finally putting it together in San Diego

Heading into the 2022 NBA Draft, Houston, who had three first-round picks, were looking to accelerate their rebuild, and given the fact that Kevin Porter Jr. was their lead guard at the time, it made sense for them to aim for a point guard late in the first round.

Coming out of Kentucky, Washington was seen a potentially elite playmaker and shooter, with skills as a passer off the pick-and-roll and as a pull-up shooter from multiple areas of the court. Yet, in his rookie season, he never seemed to find his footing with the Rockets, playing in only 31 games and averaging 4.7 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting an abysmal 23.8% from beyond the arc.

He was then later dealt to the Atlanta Hawks in the convoluted deal that brought Dillon Brooks to Houston, and, in the couple of seasons since, has bounced around the league on two-way contracts.

Now, after being waived by the Los Angeles Clippers just before the start of the season, Washington is making the most of his opportunity with their G-League affiliate. Not only is he operating as a scorer, his 2.75 assist-to-turnover ratio this season signifies a profound development in his processing speed and his playmaking abilities.

With the Los Angeles Clippers suddenly becoming guard-needy in the absence of Bradley Beal and the forced departure of Chris Paul, there is a chance that Washington could earn a two-way contract this season and some playing time at the NBA level.

Yet, this is not a question of regret for the Rockets. The Timberwolves drafted Wendel Moore Jr. with the pick they netted in the original Washington trade, and he's bounced around the league as a fringe rotation player as well.

Nevertheless, as someone who the team had high hopes for coming out of the draft, it's nice to see Washington succeed elsewhere in the league.