LUCK OF THE DRAW

What the future holds for Wall & Olynyk could come down to this for Rockets

What the future holds for Wall & Olynyk could come down to this for Rockets
A lot is riding on the NBA Draft. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

The Houston Rockets have a ton of decisions to make and this offseason is huge because of the NBA Draft and potential signees. Rafael Stone must make critical decisions in the summer regarding Kelly Olynyk and John Wall. Should they re-sign Olynyk, and should they look to trade John Wall?

Honestly, in my opinion, the draft positioning is key for the Rockets' front office. If the Rockets perhaps land the first pick, Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State is the selection, and the second pick would be Evan Mobley of USC. Cunningham would be a perfect match with Kevin Porter Jr. and Mobley would be a great fit working in combination with Christian Wood.

The Rockets have been watching how Porter and Wall play together, and the same can be said for Olynyk and Wood. Both combinations have played well together and enjoy each other's company on the court. These pairings for the Rockets could be experiments for Cunningham or Mobley.

Wall and Porter average 19.5 minutes, 46.6 points, 10.7 assist and shooting 47% from the field, while playing on the same court. These two have played well together by pushing the tempo and sharing the point guard responsibilities. It's easy to tell that Wall is pushing Porter to learn the point guard position more because of their dialogue on the bench. Porter has become a combo guard instead of a wing player.

Cunningham would be the perfect fit for Porter. He brings defense, scoring, playmaking, and leadership. His biggest strengths on defense are fighting over picks, so he can stay with his matchup. Cunningham shot the three-ball at 40 percent in college, and the Rockets need shooting desperately. He would easily improve the Rockets' shooing in the backcourt.

A quick reminder, Cunningham is 6'7 with a 7'0 ft wingspan as a guard. Having a tall athletic point guard that can see the floor well with good ball handling could pay huge dividends. He averaged 20 points per game with Oklahoma State. His best skill set is elevating the players around him.

If the Rockets selected Cunningham, what do they do with Wall? The Rockets owe him $91 million, so trade partners could be hard to find. Three-team trade perhaps? The teams that could afford to have Wall on their roster are the New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Knicks are more likely, but the Detroit Pistons would be a perfect situation. It's a hypothetical thought though because the Pistons' cap couldn't afford Wall, thanks to Jerami Grant's contract.


Stone will likely have to swallow the financial bullet and keep Wall until the next All-Star break. He still provides a veteran presence for Porter and possibly Cunningham.

Olynyk and Wood average 23 minutes, 54 points, 21.9 rebounds, shooting 35.4% at the three-point-line, and making 45.6% from the field. These two guys can fill up a rebound chart and have been efficient on the court together.

The biggest clue of the offseason is the asking price of Olynyk. The 30-year-old Olynyk has played well for the Rockets this season. He was traded from the Miami Heat in the blockbuster trade that involved Victor Oladipo. His numbers have shown reasons for a higher tax bracket. Olynyk is averaging 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assist per game, while his shooting splits are 58.5% from the field, 83.9% at the free throw line, and 37.3% behind the three-point line. He has averaged this in 10 games with the Rockets.

Olynyk has proven his value to the Rockets after serious doubt from spectators. Many fans were scratching their heads when the Rockets acquired Olynyk. So the question becomes: are the Rockets willing to let Olynyk walk if they have the 2nd pick in the draft? Olynyk has shown his great passing skills, IQ inside the paint, and his ability to run the floor. Mobley is more athletic and younger and should be better support defensively.

Mobley's defensive rating is 90.9 and he averages five blocks a game per 100 possessions. His 7'0 ft frame could play the center position, while Wood plays the power forward spot. This allows Wood to keep his game by spacing the floor. Mobley plays better drop coverage on the pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop than Wood. Mobley has a knack for being a wall inside the paint defensively. His IQ, agility, and versatility allow him to guard wherever and on whomever when it comes to defense.

Mobley averages 16.4 points per game and shoots 57% from the field. Like Olynyk, he plays the high-screen-and-roll and passes the ball exceptionally well. He is impressive in the open court because of his speed, decision-making with the ball, and ball handling. Mobley looks like a gazelle in transition with a wide-open court. Wood wouldn't be the only big man for the Rockets to push the ball in transition. The Rockets could consistently run a three-man game in fast break situations.

This year's draft could have a huge impact on the decisions the Rockets have to make. Letting Olynyk walk could be wise if they get Mobley. Signing Mobley to a rookie deal is cheaper than paying Olynyk $12 million a year. Plus, Mobley has more upside because of his youth and rebounding.

This summer will be real interesting to see which way the Rockets go.

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Is leadership the main problem for Houston? Composite Getty Image.

With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.

While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.

Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.

And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.

The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.

It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.

Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.

The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.

They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.

Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.

Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?

As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.

The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?

Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!

Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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