Last week, we started our recap of how the first round rookies from the 2014 draft performed. We began with a look at the final five picks, breaking down the value that teams were able to get at the end of the opening round, and now our recap continues this week as we break down picks 21 through 25 from the 2014 NBA Draft.
25. PF – Clint Capela, Houston
Rockets’ GM Daryl Morey has done an excellent job gathering talent in Houston and while their championship run fell short this season, the future is bright for the Rockets. It’s hard to say for sure what Capela’s ceiling is but he did gain some valuable experience this year including some playoff minutes off the bench behind Dwight Howard. Speaking of D-12, Capela’s value is intrinsically linked to Howard. If Howard is going to continue to be injury prone and miss a handful of games each year, Capela is a name you’ll want to keep in mind when he’s out.
Capela is already a very good rebounder and at just 21 years old, he has the potential to develop in to a quality starter as he gains more experience and progresses at the NBA level.
24. PG – Shabazz Napier, Charlotte
Charlotte capitalized on Miami’s desire to land Shabazz Napier by taking him with the 24th overall pick and then trading him to the Heat for the 26th overall pick and two second round picks. The Hornets wound up selecting P.J. Hairston at 26 while Napier went on to put up decent numbers with Miami in his rookie year. Napier averaged 5.1 points, 2.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds in just 19.8 minutes per game for the Heat this season. The truth is that the Heat were hoping for more as Napier was a star in Connecticut’s championship run and it was deemed that he would be NBA ready. He really was not and then once the team acquired Goran Dragic, it was pretty clear that Napier’s minutes would be limited. Unless Dragic is gone, Napier is going to be limited to a bench role for now.
23. SF – Rodney Hood, Utah
Hood was an absolute stud for the Jazz in his rookie season as he averaged 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 threes per game in just 21.3 minutes per game. They have to be happy about his trajectory as he really cranked it up after the All-Star break. From the break on, Hood contributed 11.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 threes and 0.8 steals.
Hood is a physical specimen at 6’8’’, 215 pounds and if he can improve his pure shooting ability, he could thrive as a more complete player in the years to come. He’s the best player of the 20s so far and is clearly a foundational piece of a very good, up-and-coming Utah squad.
22. SG – Jordan Adams, Memphis
Memphis’ need for a scoring guard led to them drafting Adams with the 22nd overall pick but even despite injuries, he was used sparingly by the team this season as the Grizzlies chose to go with Nick Calathes, Vince Carter and Beno Udrih as their first guards off the bench. He only played 8.3 minutes per game this season and just a total of 10 minutes in the playoffs.
The former UCLA man will have to work on his pure shooting ability and develop as a scorer before he is ready for a bigger role but he’s just 20 years old, so he’s got room to grow.
21. PF – Mitch McGary, Oklahoma City
The Thunder acquired this pick from the Dallas Mavericks via the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets, so they were able to invest in their future focusing on McGary’s long-term potential rather than drafting a player that could help right away. McGary played limited minutes for Oklahoma City as a rookie as he averaged just 6.3 points per game playing an average of 15.2 minutes but he gained some valuable experience. The acquisition of Enes Kanter really cut into his opportunities and with Serge Ibaka and Steven Adams also around, McGary’s opportunities will be limited.
