Rockets sign Shamorie Ponds

Shamorie Ponds is now reporting on his Twitter account that the Houston Rockets have officially signed him to a deal. Ponds is a junior out of St. John’s University.

This could be quite a good thing.

From a production standpoint, Shamorie Ponds looks like an NBA prospect.

19.7pts per game (22.4per40), 4.1 rbs (4.7per40), 5.1 ast (5.8 per 40), 2.6 stl (3 per 40), while shooting an EFG% of 52.1%, 35.3% from three, and 83.6 FT%.

Ponds is 20, and will turn 21 this year, so he’s not a terribly old prospect despite being a junior.

He’s also (a Daryl Morey favorite) a lefty.

Kevin Pelton’s statistical rankings (which strongly favored largely unloved Rockets picks Clint Capela, Montrezl Harrell and Isaiah Hartenstein) have Ponds at #5 amongst all players in the NBA draft, and at #10 overall in his composite ranking.

Scouting analysis raves about his good shooting stroke, feel for the pick and roll game, finishing at the rim with either hand, and his advanced passing game, particularly kickouts to shooters from penetration.

He’s known for a variable defensive effort, but a high rate of steals and ball pressure.

Various draft boards placed him in the late first to late second round, but he ended up undrafted.

Why?

He’s not tall. He’s not super athletic.

That’s it. That’s all that’s possibly wrong with the guy as a prospect, that was available through sixty picks. It’s difficult to fault his production, or stats. You wouldn’t want to take him with an early pick, but mid second?

Did no one see Fred Van Vleet put the nails in Golden State’s coffin? Like Ponds, Van Vleet isn’t tall, or terribly athletic - roughly the same size as Ponds. He just can shoot, pass and generally play basketball.

Maybe Shamorie doesn’t work out, but other highly ranked players in Pelton’s system have performed extremely well for the Rockets, which look to be a perfect environment for his skill set. The risk is minimal, and the Rockets desperately need low-cost production from somewhere, anywhere.