Rockets receive mixed reviews in recent 2021 NBA Re-draft

The current iteration of the Houston Rockets was built through the draft. Outside of veteran free agents Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, the team hand-picked every key member of this team's rotation.

They accumulated this collection of talent by first stockpiling draft picks. Rockets general manager Rafael Stone has generally done an excellent job of finding value in the draft. Has he always made the right decisions?

That's a matter of debate. Some critics will contend that Stone has had missteps. Bill Simmons is one of them. He recently redrafted the 2021 draft class.

He would not have taken Jalen Green with the second pick.

Rockets lottery pick slips in redraft

According to Simmons, Green should have been selected with the ninth pick. Let's see who he has ahead of the young guard.

Bill Simmons' 2021 redraft

1. Evan Mobley
2. Cade Cunningham
3. Jalen Suggs
4. Jalen Johnson
5. Alperen Sengun
6. Scottie Barnes
6. Trey Murphy
7. Franz Wagner
8. Herb Jones
9. Jalen Green
10. Josh Giddey

This is not a cut-and-dry case. You could argue that each of the players Simmons has ahead of Green belongs ahead of him. You could also make the case that he should have been picked ahead of most of them.

Mobley, Barnes, and Sengun (more on him later) all have ironclad cases ahead of Green. Cunningham also has a strong case, although his production has not translated to winning for the Pistons yet.

Jalen Johnson looks like a stud, and Franz Wagner has sometimes been impressive. They're on the same tier as Green. Otherwise, we're left with a collection of role players. It's a bit difficult to justify selecting Suggs, Murphy III or Jones ahead of Green. They've been more impactful because they've quickly settled into lower-usage roles. If any of that trio were asked to shoulder Green's scoring load, the Rockets would be in trouble.

Although, at least they'd still have the steal of the 2021 draft.

Rockets big man climbs in redraft

It comes as no surprise to see Sengun place so high in a redraft. If anything, he should likely rank higher.

Sengun was the best player on a .500 team. Drafting Suggs ahead of him because he's a good point-of-attack defender is, frankly, absurd. Cunningham cannot claim the same combination of production and team success as Sengun either.

Mobley has a case due to his two-way impact. Johnson is developing into someone who impacts both ends of the floor as well. Still, Sengun should go no lower than 4th in a 2021 redraft.

Given that the Rockets got him with the 16th pick, that bodes well for their team building.