The Houston Rockets have a first-round pick (No. 9) from the Nets and a second-round pick (No. 44) from the Warriors in the 2024 draft.
In ESPN's mock draft, the Rockets selected Dalton Knett with the 9th pick in the first round of the first round.
Dalton: University of Tennessee, 1.98 meters tall, 97 kilograms, 2.08-2.10 meters arm span, turned 22 years old in April this year, the best template is the Suns' Devin Booker (Dalton's idol is Kevin Durant).
Strengths: Excellent sense of running without the ball, strong catch-and-shoot (three-point) ability, above-average mid-range shooting, and can definitely cause problems for opponents in a lot of energy. (Compared to the Rockets' current leading scorer in the backcourt, Jalen Green, Dalton easily wins in terms of shooting consistency)
Cons: While Dalton's 97kg weight is the standard for any forward defender and has a decent reach (Tari Eason was also 97kg at 2.16 when he was drafted), he is not very good at confrontation and his defensive efficiency is at the level of Jalen Green in the previous two seasons. On the offensive end, Dalton's shooting percentage was inconsistent after the confrontation, and his finishing ability under the basket was average. In addition, he is on the older side, and many of his basketball skills have been finalized, and if he is readjusted, he may not be able to contribute much to the team for two years.
This season, Dalton is averaging 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 30.6 minutes per game, shooting 45.8% from the field, 39.7% from three-point range, 77.2% from the free-throw line, and 2.6 three-pointers per game. In March Madness, in the University of Tennessee vs. Purdue game, Dalton played 37 minutes, shooting 14-of-31 from the field and 6-of-12 from three-point range to score 37 points.
Written at the end: In fact, the Rockets are currently not short of people at the 2/3 position, and Jalen Green and Whitmore are young people worth cultivating for the Rockets. Rockets general manager Stone has said that they want to keep the current six young people on the team for the next few years, so the Rockets can use the (No. 9) draft pick and expiring contract in exchange for a veteran who can provide the team with instant power (stable three-point), so that maybe they can shorten the rebuilding journey.