Houston Rockets all-time NBA Draft bust starting 5

SF: Sam Dekker

The Rockets selected the 6’9 forward 18th overall in 2015. He was an All-American and their second-leading scorer as the Badgers reached the NCAA Finals before losing to Duke. Dekker certainly had some hype, but quickly fizzled.

He played just three games as a rookie before being part of the Rockets rotation in 2017. Dekker averaged 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 18.4 minutes per game, but his playing time diminished in the playoffs. Houston was in the middle of their run with James Harden, and Dekker was one of seven players traded in the 2017 offseason to get Chris Paul on the Rockets.

Things quickly went downhill after Dekker left Houston. He played 12 minutes per game for the Clippers in the 2018 season and appeared in just 48 contests after that. The 6’9 forward was virtually a replacement-level player throughout his five years in the NBA, and his 80 games with Houston were his most among his five franchises.

Sam Dekker played the majority of his minutes at power forward, but he saw time at the three. Getting just one season of replacement-level production from the 18th pick is certainly disappointing. The Rockets passed on Bobby Portis, Tyus Jones, Delon Wright, Kevon Looney, Norman Powell, and Larry Nance Jr. to select Dekker. It certainly did not go as planned.