HOUSTON -- The Rockets added frontcourt depth by selecting power forward Montrezl Harrell with their second-round pick.
The pick: Montrezl Harrell, power forward, Louisville
My take: Harrell is a physical player who likes to rebound, something this team needs. He averaged 9.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks his junior season and is a career 58.6 percent shooter from the field.
Harrell might spend time in the D-League, something 2014 first-round pick Clint Capela did before getting called up late in the season. But if he plays well in summer league and impresses his coaches with his frontcourt game, there's a solid chance he might be on the opening night roster.
Depth, depth and more depth: The Rockets need guards, right? Well, in the draft, the Rockets selected a small forward, Sam Dekker, who can play power forward when the team goes with a small lineup, and added another power forward in Harrell. Harrell joins Donatas Motiejunas, Terrence Jones and Joey Dorsey at the power forward spot. Josh Smith, another power forward, is a free agent, whom the Rockets would like to retain.
It seems Harrell will challenge Dorsey, who struggled with his offensive game last season, for his roster spot once training camp commences this fall.
Underclassmen picked: The Rockets have selected four early-entry candidates the last two drafts: Capela (first round) and Nick Johnson (second round) last year, and now Dekker and Harrell. Johnson, Dekker and Harrell all left school after their junior seasons in college. Capela played two seasons with Elan Chalon in France.
