The Houston Rockets and their fans have increasingly touted the value of their young core of prospects selected in the first round of recent NBA drafts, and many around the league are taking notice.
In a new ranking by Dan Favale and Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, the Rockets are well represented in a “22 under 22” ranking of the best NBA prospects under the age of 22 years old.
Here’s a look at the criteria, via Bleacher Report:
Settling on this ranking requires some loose criteria. First and foremost, players must be in their age-21-or-younger season to meet the under-22 inclusion bar. This means anyone who is already 22 or will be 22 before Jan. 31 does not appear here.
Performances from this season have shaped our initial impressions and carry tons of weight. But this is not a batch of in-the-moment rankings.
Instead, view our pecking order through the lens of “Who should you want on your team for the rest of their career?”
Here’s where members of Houston’s young core stood on that list, which can be viewed in its entirety at Bleacher Report. (Not surprisingly, spoiler, No. 1 is San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama.)
Bleacher Report’s top players under 22:
1. Victor Wembanyama
2. Chet Holmgren
3. Paolo Banchero
4. Alperen Sengün
5. Scoot Henderson
6. Jabari Smith Jr.
7. Shaedon Sharpe
8. Brandon Miller
9. Ausar Thompson
10. Bilal Coulibaly
11. Jaden Ivey
12. Keyonte George
13. Amen Thompson…— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 5, 2024
No. 4: Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
There are only a handful of true offensive hubs among the players we’re considering here, and Alperen Sengün has been the best of them. That he’s running things so effectively from the center position only underscores his worthiness of such a high ranking.
No under-22 player has more than Sengün’s 163 assists this season, and Wembanyama is the only one with more total rebounds. Ditch the age cutoff, and the Houston Rockets big man is one of four players in the entire association averaging at least 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting over 50.0% from the field.
The other three — Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo — have the last five MVPs between them.
Defense was a concern earlier in Sengün’s career, but he’s working harder on that end and has improved his anticipation on the back line. After two years of substandard D, the 21-year-old’s DEPM is in positive territory.
No. 6: Jabari Smith Jr., Houston Rockets
You don’t have to thin-slice the data to highlight Jabari Smith Jr.’s unique combination of skills. If the 6-foot-11 forward’s numbers hold, he’ll become the first 20-year-old in league history to average over 13.0 points and 8.0 rebounds while hitting at least 37.0% of his threes.
Anyone who gave up on the No. 3 pick in the 2022 draft after last season’s rough start made a grave error. After finishing his rookie year on a tear, Smith now profiles as an immensely valuable 3-and-D forward with tons of additional upside that extends well beyond role-player status.
Smith is just barely tapping into individual shot creation, as evidenced by a larger share of his baskets coming without an assist and rising scoring efficiency. He’s an ace mid-range shooter whose length allows him to elevate over all but the rangiest centers.
Already an elite two-way supporting piece, Smith still has the potential to become a star in his own right.
No. 13: Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets
Amen Thompson is the hardest name to place inside this hierarchy. A sprained right ankle coupled with a non-COVID illness sidelined him for most of the season, and he’s not yet 10 games into his return.
Slotting him higher based entirely on his physical tools wouldn’t be unfair. He is a 6-foot-7 primary ball-handler who is already providing glimpses into the havoc he creates with his live dribble.
Thompson appears at home surveying defenses in the lane and firing off passes inside pockets of space. The variable cadence at which he plays begets enviable volume at the rim. He has the blow-by speed that warrants slow-motion replays but also has a knifing deliberateness he can use to wear down anyone in front of him. (Jalen Green is jealous as hell.)
Impact defense is a given. Thompson has a frame that’s tough to shake, and he’s shown early on he can handle some physical assignments.
Much like his twin brother, Ausar Thompson, Amen’s biggest question mark is his jumper. A 6-of-13 clip on twos outside of 14 feet to begin his career piques curiosity — particularly when not all of those looks are unguarded last resorts. But his warts from beyond the arc and charity stripe endure.
Even so, his standing here may seem foolish in a few years, if not a few months — inadvertently repressed by a limited amount of information on what he looks like at this level.
No. 20: Jalen Green, Houston Rockets
It’s hard to be sure how much of Jalen Green’s slow development owes to a Houston Rockets operation that, until Ime Udoka took over for 2023-24, was defined by chaos and a lack of leadership. Though the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft’s athleticism, scoring instincts and offensive-star upside mean he belongs on this list, it’s still disappointing he doesn’t check in a little higher.
Green’s open-floor speed and bounce (especially when attacking the basket off one foot) are his most conspicuous skills, and he’s shown flashes of pick-and-roll orchestration. He ranks in the 78th percentile in assist rate among wings this season, though the overall picture of his offensive game — 93rd percentile in usage; 27th percentile in points per shot attempt—screams he should have fewer responsibilities.
It’s not easy to average 19.4 points per game across your first three seasons, so Green’s scoring has to count for something. But he’ll need to do much better than career rates of 41.8% from the field and 34.2% from deep if Green, an offense-first player, is ever going to sniff an All-Star Game.
