Rockets avoided disaster by passing on this NBA prospect

The Houston Rockets were linked to Kasparas Jakucionis many times throughout the draft cycle. Based on his Summer League performance so far, fans should be thrilled that they avoided him.

Full disclosure: I advocated for Jakucionis several times. It is what it is. The draft is an inexact science.

Moreover, it should be said that three games of Summer League are hardly a definitive sample size. That said, Jakucionis has quite a hole to dig himself out of. He hasn't just been bad:

His play has been deeply concerning.

Potential Rockets prospect can't buy a bucket

Through three games of Summer League, Jakucionis is averaging 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. The Heat point guard is 1/15 from the field.

Most of those field goal attempts have been threes, but Jakucionis hasn't connected from beyond the arc yet. That's right - he's 0/11 from distance after three games.

That was a concern heading into the draft for the young floor general. Jakucionis shot just 31.8% from deep in college. In the NBA, his shooting looks worse.

That comes as no surprise. Even Reed Sheppard struggled to hit threes as an NBA rookie, and he hit 52.1% of his threes in college. Jakucionis is not a gifted shooter. So far, it looks like his solid positional size and excellent passing acumen won't be enough to compensate for that shortcoming.

Is he doomed?

Rockets won't miss rookie point guard

Absolutely not.

It's three games of Summer League. Jakucionis is lucky to have landed with a Heat organization that's known for getting the most out of its players. He's still got a shot.

Conversely, let's not mince words - this is bad. An NBA player's trajectory isn't linear, but the lower the starting point, the higher the climb. If this is Jakucionis' Summer League level, he's likely to have tremendous struggles as an NBA rookie.

That's something the Rockets didn't have time for in the first place.

Rockets no longer interested in development

The Rockets didn't pick anybody in this year's draft. They traded the 10th overall pick to the Suns in exchange for Kevin Durant. That should signal an organizational shift. The Rockets are less interested in development than they are in winning.

That's not to say they won't use some of their future picks to add youth. The Rockets could pick NBA-ready prospects, or stash guys in the G-League while they develop. What they won't do is give reps to any NBA player who doesn't deserve them based on their current level of play.

There's a wide range of potential outcomes for Jakucionis. He could still be an NBA star. Still, it's hard to be optimistic about a guy who's struggling this significantly in Summer League play:

It's probably for the best that the Rockets avoided him.