“When watching a basketball game, most people see 10 players, an orange ball and two baskets. I’ve never seen that. Basketball, to my eye, is numbers. I see ones and zeros. I see decisions affecting movement, action and reaction. Measurables. Binary come to life. A symphony numerology…” – Vitticus 2019.

Talk about a beautiful mind. Houston’s former head of analytics, now GM, Vitticus holds firm views on the game of basketball. It is rumoured he works 22 and a half hour days, allowing a half an hour for a brief sleep and an hour for his daily Sudoku puzzle (usually completed in the deep A.M). Most days, he can be found pacing back-and-forth, through the dark halls of the Toyota Center, muttering phrases as he jots notes and scribbles on his notepad. 

He is the creator of the Vittorious Theory of Basketball Numerology, a journal that documented how advanced numbers affect winning percentages. In the NBA, Vitticus’s teachings were adapted by 29 franchises (all except the Knicks) over the past decade and a multitude of GM’s have cited his works as a major influence on their franchise’s success. But does he have what it takes to take a franchise to the very top as GM or is he simply a number guru, underqualified for the top job?

   

The Draft

Houston entered the inaugural draft with pick 11. Eleven offered an opportunity to go win-now and compete immediately, as on the board, was a plethora of guns who slipped due to the youth movement within the top 10 picks. Still on the board were franchise players such as Lebron James, Paul George and James Harden (if going win now) or future stars such as Devin Booker, Kristaps Porzingis and Karl-Anthony Towns. Vitticus went with Towns, and though overlooking some of the best players in the game, he landed one of the best franchise centrepieces. 

With their second pick, Houston selected Otto Porter. While Porter has upside as a young yet established player, there may have been some more tantalising prospects on the board. Young guards like Brogdon, Hield and McCollum could have made a nice pairing with one of the most versatile bigs in the game but something tells GM Vitti saw something special in the skillset of Otto Porter. 

With pick 3, Vitti’s draft followed the theme of length, perimeter D and floor spacing. Vitticus took up-and-comer Josh Richardson, a two-way wing with playmaking, defensive and outside scoring potential. After combining the three it became clear that opposition teams would struggle to score against this well-rounded, athletic and youthful squad. 

Jerami Grant and Delon Wright were brought with picks 4 and 5 to complete the starting line-up. With an average age of 25.6, the starters have a ton of room for growth and all offer bouncy athleticism, shooting range and, most importantly, the x-factor of length. 

The rest of the draft was littered with value picks as Vitti pinched talent deep into the late rounds at virtually every pick. Some steals he produced on draft night included Pick 6-(170) Jalen Brunsen, Pick 8-(230) Davis Bertans, Pick 9-(251) Maxi Kleber and Pick 10-(290) Dorian Finney-Smith. While none of these names are all-star types, there are definitely some huge upside picks and all players at worst will be quality role players. 

Draft breakdown:

Pick 1-(11) Karl Anthony Towns

Pick 2-(50) Otto Porter

Pick 3-(71) Josh Richardson

Pick 4-(110) Jerami Grant

Pick 5-(131) Delon Wright

Pick 6-(170) Jalen Brunsen

Pick 7-(191) Tomas Satoransky

Pick 8-(230) Davis Bertans

Pick 9-(251) Maxi Kleber

Pick 10-(290) Dorian Finney-Smith

Pick 11-(311) Jevon Carter

Pick 12-(350) Skal Labissiere

Pick 13-(371) Sindarius Thornwell

Pick 14-(410) Georges Niang

Pick 15-(431) Theo Pinson

Pick 16-(470) Pick 27

 
Rookie Draft

Vitti drafted a late first rounder with his last pick of the draft but traded this pick to add depth to his young roster. In a calculated move, he traded pick 27 for picks 37 and 41. This gave the Rockets 3 early second rounders (34, 37 and 41) to blanket the early second of a deep draft.

Staying true to form, Vitti took another multi-positional wing with large wingspan with his first pick (pick 34). We have yet to see Tucker but all reports were he plays bigger than his height (6”4) and can play anywhere from SG to PF. He looks to be a lock down defender and should prove valuable when finding matchups for the larger wings in the competition. It looks like he’ll be available to play for the Lakers soon as he’s been ramping up his activity with the G-League affiliate.

Having the luxury of a bonus early second rounder, meant the Rockets could take a punt Jontay Porter. Brother of Michael Porter Jr, Jontay was another prospect (like Horton-Tucker) whose stock fell due to injury. He’s a versatile PF/C who can shoot the ball and protect the rim. At 6”11 he has glitch potential in the game but all will depend on health as he recovers from his ACL. 

Alen Smailagic, a 6”10 Serbian forward was the final selection for Vitticus. After a strong G-League season in 2018-19, he entered the draft. He’s shown glimpses of underrated athleticism and could eventuate into a solid rim protecting big. He will need time to develop but could prove a value pick at 41. 

Pick Breakdown:

Pick 34- Talen Horton-Tucker

Pick 37- Jontay Porter

Pick 41- Alen Smailagic

Projected Lineup

C Karl-Anthony Towns

PF Jerami Grant

SF Otto Porter

SG Josh Richardson

PG Delon Wright

6^th Maxi Kleiber

Role Players: Jalen Brunsen, Davis Bertans, Tomas Satoransky and Dorian Finney-Smith

Trades

Vitticus, so far, has no blockbuster trades to his name but he’s continued to move little pieces to gain long-term assets. A recent savvy move brought in two more second round picks for 24 GM points. The trade brought in Memphis’s 2020 pick which could be an early second due to their recent change in approach (trading Beal). It also brought in a 2021 second rounder from the Jazz.

Outlook

After a strong draft, Vitti has continued to slowly move pieces like pawns on a chess board. There has been no irrational moves and no home-run swings. Simple, calculated additions with sound judgement appears to be the team building strategy for this high I.Q GM. He has a clear picture in his mind on how his team should look and play. There’s no doubt, Houston’s young core will continue to grow with their stable of future picks and it appears Vitticus will stop at nothing to find the missing numbers for his equation. 

How will his system hold up in year 1? 

Houston look set to compete for a playoff run behind their improving superstar, Towns. The West is super competitive with arguably the top 4 teams in the competition all in the same conference. However, Vitticus will give his talented young core every chance to sneak into the 7^th or 8^th seed. 

Prediction:

Finish: 8^th in the West

Record: 42-40

Bold Call: Towns to average 30 points and 12 rebounds.