Rockets select French two-way winger 44th overall in new mock draft

While the 2024 NBA Draft class may not have generational talent, this is a great draft to get a high-profile player because they are scattered throughout the class. In other words, a team could walk away with a good player in the second round this year.

Houston’s Kevin McClullar Jr., Adem Bona, PJ Hall, Justin Edwards, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jamal Shead could all be available in the final round of this month’s draft, illustrating the type of depth in the class . Again, the star power at the top isn’t what we’ve become accustomed to, but there could be several quality players selected in the 2024 draft class.

The Houston Rockets hold the third and 44th picks in the draft and could actually use both picks if they are unable to trade for a more established player. If that happens, it would be the first time the Rockets have made a second-round selection since 2018, when they drafted De’Anthony Melton.

Speaking of second-round picks, the Rockets drafted some really good players this round, including Dillon Brooks, Isaiah Hartenstein, Montrezl Harrell, Chase Budinger, Chandler Parsons, and even Cuttino Mobley.

In the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, the Rockets select French wing Melvin Ajinça, who Wasserman compares to Evan Fournier, the 11-year veteran, who has career averages of 13.6 points, 44.1 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from three.

Wasserman’s synopsis is below.

“Melvin Ajinça ​​met with teams in Treviso after missing the NBA game for the LNB Pro A playoffs. His shooting has been lousy since FIBA ​​this summer. Teams will try to decide if he is a shooter sharp enough to compensate for his lack of creativity and speed.

Ajinça’s FIBA ​​U19 2023 campaign was a successful one, as he dazzled with 19.3 points on 53 percent shooting from the field, 49 percent from long distance and 83 percent from the charity stripe. The 6-foot-7 wing has true long-range shooting ability, which would bode well for the Rockets, who finished 23rd in 3-point shooting in 2023-24.

On defense, he has good instincts and his size helps him tremendously. The Rockets could certainly do a lot worse than Ajinça ​​at number 44.

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