Ranking every Houston Rockets first-round pick of the Rafael Stone era

5 of 5

2. Amen Thompson

On the other hand, Thompson flashed nothing but maturity and floor vision this year. He's among the highest-feel players in the NBA as a rookie. He's also a fringe All-NBA defender already as well.

Amen Thompson ends the season with a triple-double (18, 11, 10 on 8/9 shooting).

He also added 3 steals and 3 blocks along the way. Loved this play with him blocking Plumlee helpside.

Laughable how good the Rockets' draft went with him AND Cam Whitmore. What a win for Houston. pic.twitter.com/IN9Rk2t1uY
— Ersin Demir (@EDemirNBA) April 15, 2024

He's not perfect. Thompson needs to improve his handle if he's going to run point at this level. He also needs at least an in-between game, if not a three-ball. He still looks like an excellent choice with the fourth overall pick.

1. Alperen Sengun

Technically, the Rockets didn't draft Sengun. The Thunder did, and then the Rockets traded for him.

We included him anyway - our site, our rules. Remember that list of players from the 2021 class in VORP? Sengun is at the top of that list. He has a case to be the top pick in a 2021 re-draft, and the Rockets traded a pittance for him.

Hats off, Rafael Stone.

Home/Draft