What if we redo the 2014-2016 NBA Drafts?

As I alluded to in the What If Week Intro a few days ago, the highlight of our theme week is a complete redo of the 2014-2016 NBA Drafts, with each site manager for each team (yours truly!) serving as GM and making the draft picks.

As a reminder, the Houston Rockets picked 25th in 2014, 18th in 2015, and did not have a pick in the 2016 draft. For the purpose of this exercise, there were no trades allowed, so I was unable to secure us a 2016 pick and had to sit idle for that one.

What stood out to me was how truly light the NBA Draft gets after the first 15-20 picks. This wasn’t an easy exercise. Anyway, without further ado, here’s the re-draft!

2014

Original Pick: Clint Capela - The Rockets used their 25th pick to select a skinny youngster from Switzerland. It may have seemed a little strange at the time considering the Rockets already had a not-yet-washed Dwight Howard on their roster still patrolling the paint, but this pick ended up being one of the best that Daryl Morey ever made. Capela eventually took over the starting job and spent 3.5 years as one of the top players on the roster before being moved to the Atlanta Hawks in the Robert Covington deal. Unfortunately, he was long gone as expected in our What If scenario, going with the 8th pick to the Sacramento Kings.

My Pick: Langston Galloway - It was pretty slim pickings by the time things got to me (or so I thought, more on that in a second), so I was scouring the second-rounders and undrafted free agents for someone who could make an impact in H-town, and Galloway’s three-point shooting since he’s been in the league made him an enticing pick. He’s a career 37-percent shooter from deep and was in the midst of a very good season this year with the Detroit Pistons as a primary bench contributor playing 25 minutes a night. Before the stoppage, he was averaging 10.3 points points per game on 40-percent shooting from three (5 attempts per game). He’d fit right in with the Rockets with that type of marksmanship.

Also Considered: Maxi Kleber - Well, this is more of a “should have” considered, but I made a rookie GM mistake (and so did a lot of other managers). Kleber went undrafted in 2014 and didn’t even sign with anyone as an UDFA. So when I was going down the lists of players who were drafted or signed, I didn’t find him anywhere. Well, technically speaking, he was draft-eligible that year even though he wound up playing in Spain (and didn’t sign with an NBA team until 2017) and I only would have found him had I looked at lists of prospects from before the draft. One lucky team (Phoenix Suns) scooped him up two picks after me. He would’ve been a great fit in Houston with his length, shot-blocking, and capable three-point shot. Sorry, guys.

JaMychal Green - I also considered Green here for his size, rebounding, and recent development of an effective three-point shot, but figured Galloway the slightly better fit from a roster standpoint in 2014. The Rockets (and TDS) were still fighting the Terrence Jones vs. Donatas Motiejunas battle, and also had Josh Smith still on the roster for a log-jam at the four. Meanwhile, after James Harden and Patrick Beverley, the guards were 97-year-old (all ages approximate) Jason Terry and 137-year-old Pablo Prigioni. Galloway was the better need.

Here’s your full What If 2014 NBA Draft

2015

Original Pick: Sam Dekker - The Rockets took Dekker with the 18th pick in this draft thinking he could eventually challenge for some time on the wing, but that never materialized and Dekker was sent to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Chris Paul deal. He’s since been traded two more times, to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards. He never averaged more than the 6.5 points per game he tallied in his second year with the Rockets, and he’s now out of the NBA and playing in Russia.

My Pick: Kevon Looney - The Rockets were reportedly interested in Looney when he became a free agent last summer, though he signed back with the Golden State Warriors. But in this What If scenario, Houston gets their man from the beginning. Looney’s switch-ability as a 6’9” forward and small-ball center would make him an ideal fit in the Rockets’ system. And in our fantasy land, Dwight Howard is on his way out and there’s no Clint Capela around, so Looney would have a real chance for the minutes he’s never received with the Dubs.

Also Considered: Delon Wright - Honestly, had I managed the foresight to take Kleber in 2014, I probably take Wright here instead of Looney. The 6’5” guard is a tenacious defender and would bring an added element to Houston’s backcourt. When he received 30 minutes per night in 2019 with the Memphis Grizzlies, he averaged 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.

Willie Cauley-Stein - He was the 6th overall pick in 2015, and though he never lived up to his draft status, he did averaged 12 and 7 and then 12 and 8 in back-to-back seasons with the Sacramento Kings. Like Looney, he’d have opportunity in H-town. Might his career trajectory end up differently with James Harden tossing lobs?

Here’s your full What If 2015 NBA Draft

2016

As mentioned, the Rockets had no pick in 2016 and no way to trade into the draft.

Here’s your full What If 2016 Draft

Verdict

So ultimately, the Rockets went from Clint Capela and Sam Dekker to Langston Galloway and Kevon Looney. Obviously, Capela is the best player in that group, but considering where Houston was in the draft and the fact that there really are no sleepers available since we know these guys’ trajectories already, the Rockets got two useful players out of the deal.

I do think I like the combo of Maxi Kleber and Delon Wright better than Galloway and Looney, but I’ll let you all make that final decision.