HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets struck gold last year with the draft selection of Jalen Green. General manager Rafael Stone took a slight gamble by choosing Green — who became the first prospect drafted from the G-League Ignite with the No. 2 pick of the 2021 NBA Draft.
Nearly a year since his selection, Green has established himself as a franchise cornerstone for Houston. The Rockets will not use their top overall selection on an Ignite prospect this year, but the franchise could be willing to take the risk with their No. 17 pick of the 2022 NBA Draft.
MarJon Beauchamp is one of a handful of players entering the draft as a prospect from the Ignite. And Thursday morning, the Rockets held a private pre-draft workout for Beauchamp in Houston.
The 6-foot-6 two-guard is a projected late first-round prospect who averaged 15.1 points on 57.1 percent shooting from the field, 7.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals. The 12 games Beauchamp played in the G-League could be beneficial in helping his transition to the NBA, similar to Green.
"I never looked at myself as a rookie," Green said during his media exit interview on May 11. "I felt with me going to the G-League put me as a sophomore. I was able to build habits and routines. I picked that up while I was in the G-League, and that is what helped me the most."
Beauchamp joined the Ignite after playing a dozen games at Yakima Valley College. He averaged 30.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists during his brief collegiate career.
ESPN ranked Beauchamp as the sixth-best shooting guard entering the draft and the 23rd-best player overall. Dyson Daniels and Jaden Hardy are joining Beauchamp as projected first-round prospects from the Ignite.
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