Who knew that the 2021 NBA Draft would turn out to be the “Fountain of Youth” for the Houston Rockets as they selected four players all of which are 19 years old and younger. Add that to the four players they already have under the age of 25. Head Coach Stephen Silas and General Manager Rafael Stone are building a foundation that could take the Houston Rockets back to the playoffs after finishing a dismal 16-53 season.

Jalen Green

Houston used the win of the #2 NBA Draft pick to select Jalen Green, who opted out of going to college to sign with the NBA G-League Ignite, a team dedicated to the development and mentorship of young elite prospects who want to play in the NBA.

Green was a most sought after high school recruit who averaged 31.5 points, 5.0 assists and 7.5 rebounds as a senior at Prolific Prep in California. Those numbers earned him a spot on the McDonald’s All-American Team and had him rated as the No. 1 high school prospect by ESPN in the Class of 2020. He also won multiple gold medals competing with USA Basketball.

In April of last year, Green made headlines when he decided to take his talents to the G-League rather than to college and shined in the 15 games he played in. During his time in the NBA bubble in Florida, Green averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. Those numbers were good enough to help lead the G-League Ignite team to the playoffs.

“That feeling was amazing,” said Green about hearing his name called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

He elaborated on what he observed about from the Rockets on last year. “They get out and play to their strengths,” Green answered at the Rockets practice facility where the 2021 draft picks were introduced. “They play hard. Coach Silas was telling me what their main focus was going into next year and I really like it. I think I fit in really well here.”

Alpen Sengun

Houston, who also possessed the 23rd & 24th picks in the first round, didn’t feel like that would be enough and decided to make a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder to acquire Alpern Sengun from Turkey. The Rockets sent the Thunder two first round draft picks that were owed to them from the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards.

Sengun, the Turkish Super League MVP, averaged 18.6 points and 8.9 rebounds in 34 games this past season. That is very impressive from a young man who was burning through defenders at 18 years old. He recently just turned 19.

“The path that I took to be here in my life was not easy for me,” said Sengun. “I will be battling for this team, and I will put everything out there to show how good we are.”

His offensive abilities have been compared to 2021 NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and his numbers from last season backs that up as he shot 62.6% from the floor.

"He has a higher ceiling than most guys,” general manager Rafael Stone said about Sengun, who participated in three FIBA Europe Cup games and in Olympic qualifying games this summer with the Turkish National Team. “We were very focused on him. We did not think he had a chance to get to us at 23."

Usman Garuba

With the 23rd pick, the Rockets made sure that they could have someone that could play outstanding defense and take some of the defensive pressure off current Rockets center Christian Wood.

Houston chose Garuba, a very tough 19-year-old who played for Real Madrid in Spain’s Liga ACB League for his toughness and defensive prowess. This strength of Garuba puzzled most NBA scouts because the intensity in which he plays with on the defensive end takes years to perfect in the NBA.

"I think he's the best defender in the world outside of the NBA, and he's just 19 years old,” said Stone. “I think he potentially could be really, really impactful on that side of the ball."

Garuba is currently playing for Spain in the Olympics and wasn’t made available for the Rockets press conference.

Josh Christopher

Houston used their final pick of the night to draft Josh Christopher out of Arizona State. The 6’5 combo guard has played in numerous AAU summer league games with the Rockets No. 2 pick and they have a very good chemistry when they are on the court together.

Christopher, a former McDonald’s All-American, appeared in 15 games for the Sun Devils during his freshman season where he averaged 14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds.

His ability to create his own shot is what intrigued the Rockets, but they also noticed his defensive mindset as they watched film on him from his college days.

“I also think Josh [Christopher] has the potential to be a truly lockdown man-to-man defender,” said Stone when asked about why the Rockets selected what some draft experts considered a second-round draft experiment.

Overall, the Houston Rockets did a fantastic job of drafting to their needs. They took the best available players that would help coach Silas implement an offensive scheme that fits a fast and up-paced group of players. Rockets fans will have to be patient this upcoming season with the fresh group of teenagers adapting to the NBA, but the future is very bright and looks very promising.

“I think for our fans that this is a really, really exciting time,” Stone said. “For the last 10-years, until this past year, we were a team that was competing for a championship. Now is our chance to build back up and there is a lot of fun on that path too.”