Re-drafting the 2021 NBA Draft — 23. Josh Christopher, Rockets
The Rockets ought to be happy with what Josh Christopher provided off the bench in year one. He’s exactly as advertised — a talented if inconsistent shot-maker whose athleticism pops off the screen. Houston’s rebuild plan is not hard to decipher: add as much offensive talent as possible, and figure out the mechanics some other time.
Now, with Mobley replacing Green in this hypothetical exercise, Christopher becomes even more important to the Rockets’ future. Eric Gordon and Dennis Schroder won’t stick around for long and Kevin Porter Jr. is extremely uneven as a go-to playmaker and lead scorer. Christopher would be thrust into an even bigger role on the perimeter, with a real chance to carve out starting minutes on a bad team.
He has a ways to go developmentally — the Rockets need Christopher to become a real 3-point threat — but the raw athleticism, talent, and energy are there. Christopher is a real competitor and the Rockets need to start filling out the wing depth chart.