He Is Not A Hooper.

TL;DR - He Is Not A Hooper is my archive of all takes on NBA prospects.

2020 completely changed my relationship with the NBA. The Association relocated to Disney World to square off in the bubble. No one left, no one came in. No fans, no family, no parties, no travel, just hoops. Yet, the Houston Rockets, my Houston Rockets, still found themselves entangled in scandal mid-playoff series. Players were suspended, team morale crashed, and the series was lost. The Rockets season was over.

After the bubble meltdown, Harden’s eight-year tenure in Houston was coming to close. Russell Westbrook requested a trade from Houston that off-season, landing with the Wizards. Harden then followed, with a blockbuster trade to Brooklyn, joining KD and Kyrie. General manager Daryl Morey left to Philly, and head coach Mike D’Antoni left to Brooklyn. The Rockets I knew were done.

After the dust settled, the roster comprised of John Wall, Christian Wood, and Victor Oladipo. Surely this was a play-in team. That’s what I thought. I was wrong. Very wrong. The roster was terrible. The defense was abysmal, the offense was embarrassing, and half the roster was out due to injuries. But the upcoming draft was the light at the end of the tunnel.

With the worst record in the NBA, the Rockets shared the best odds at winning the #1 pick for the 2021 draft. An opportunity to draft a franchise player. The idea of selecting the best prospect became an obsession. I watched Anthony Edwards and Lamelo Ball hoop out their minds, what could a Cade Cunningham or Jalen Green do on a NBA court?

I went back to watch Edwards and Ball’s scouting tape. What was the difference between Edwards taken first, and Ball selected third? What made the scouts, analysts, journalists, GMs, and twitter junkies so high on these guys in general? Floor? Ceiling? Strengths? Weaknesses? I studied it all. I went back to Cade and Jalen. I watched Mobley, Suggs, Barnes, Kuminga, Bones. I was watching guys in Europe, Sengun and Nikola Jovic. Who is worth the pick?

I‘ve been asking that question to myself since. And I’m excited to continue doing so with Wembanyama, Henderson, and the Thompson twins on deck. I present, He Is Not A Hooper. Enjoy.