On July 30, Beijing time, the 2021 Draft was held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Houston Rockets held the top three picks in this year's draft, the first time in nearly 20 years that they have occupied the top three picks in the draft, and the first time in nearly 10 years that they have held the lottery pick. As expected, they also selected Jaylen Green, who is only 19 years old and is from the G League.
Since high school, Jaylen Green has been hailed as the top two candidates in this year's draft, and he was also the best high school student in the United States during his senior year of high school. In his final season in high school, he averaged 31.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5 assists per game, and his performance was very versatile and explosive. After graduating from high school, in order to make money in advance, he did not choose to join the ncaa, but wanted to follow the example of Lamelo Ball and other predecessors to join foreign professional leagues. The league set a precedent for this by creating a new team in the Development League (G League) in order to retain local high school talent. This means that Jaylen Green has received a million annual salary before the draft, and the commercial value is extraordinary.
Jaylen Green is undoubtedly the core of the Rockets' future rebuilding and the most promising player they've had in the draft over the years. The media listed all of the Rockets' first-round draft players in the past 20 years, as follows:
2002: Yao Ming (Champion)
2002: Persian Jane Nakba (15th pick in the first round)
2005: Luthor Hyde (24th pick in the first round)
2006: Rudy Guy (8th pick in the first round)
2007: Aaron Brooks (26th pick in the first round)
2008: Nicholas Batum (25th pick in the first round)
2010: Patrick Patterson (14th pick in the first round)
2011: Marcus Morris (14th pick in the first round)
2011: Nikola Mirotic (23rd pick in the first round)
2012: Jeremy Lamb (12th pick in the first round)
2012: Reus White (16th pick in the first round)
2012: Terrance Jones (18th pick in the first round)
2014: Clint Capela (25th pick in the first round)
2015: Sam Decker (18th pick in the first round)
2021: Jaylen Green (Eye)
As can be seen from the above, the Rockets' best draft player in the past 20 years is Yao Ming. In his 8-year career, Yao Ming has been selected to the All-Star starting lineup and has entered the league's best team five times, including two best second team. It was also after Yao Ming landed in the league that many fans began to show their love for the sport. Yao Ming even shoulders the heavy responsibility of building a basketball bridge between the two countries. After his retirement, the Rockets also decided to retire his No. 11 jersey, which shows Yao Ming's position in the history of the Rockets. He is also the rocket's strongest draft player in the past 20 years, and his 16-year induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame is also the best recognition for him.
In the first round of the 20-year draft, the Rockets have selected players who are very familiar to fans such as Guy and Batum. But they didn't play for the Rockets and were sent off by the team after the draft. After Yao Ming, the rocket's best player can only be Capela, and it is also a rare player in the Rockets draft to get a maximum salary contract extension. It can be seen that Jaylen Green is a rare draft talent in the team in the past 20 years, and his presence for the Rockets is also very rare.
The media is very optimistic that Jaylen Green can become the next superstar. In the first year of the replacement of Harden's rebuild, the Rockets can get such a talented talented player, which is also very helpful for them to return to the top, greatly enhancing their confidence in rebuilding. He will form a backcourt duo with Kevin Porter Jr., who scored 50 points in a single game with the Rockets last season, and this combination is undoubtedly extremely offensively talented and full of ornamentation. Whether Jaylen Green can lead the Rockets to recast the glory of Harden's reign, or to take it to the next level, we will have to wait and see.
(Text/Yuwen Basketball)