Friday Headlines: TyTy Washington Edition

Washington had one of the larger draft falls in recent memory.

By John Morgan Francis@MonJorgan Jun 24, 2022, 6:40am EDT

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round-Saint Peters vs Kentucky

Thursday night went a bit longer than expected for now former Kentucky guard Tyty Washington. After hearing former teammate Shaedon Sharpe’s name called for the seventh overall selection in Thursday night’s NBA Draft, Washington had to wait 22 more selections until he was taken by the Houston Rockets (via Memphis) 29th overall.

Kentucky guard TyTy Washington hears his name called on draft night

Pick traded to the Houston Rockets pic.twitter.com/1x7DqhjHOO
— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) June 24, 2022

Washington had repeatedly been mentioned as a lock to be a lottery pick and at-worst be picked at the end of the lottery. However, for some reason, Washington saw his stock plummet. It could have been the multitude of injuries that Washington just couldn’t avoid last season, or it could have been that he “underperformed” to some expectation in his one and only season at Kentucky. However, he did have bright moments and also played through a couple of injuries.

Regardless, Washington has found his first official NBA home down in Texas with the Rockets. Assuming former Kentucky star and No. 1 overall draft pick John Wall remains in Houston, the Rockets will now have two former Wildcats in their backcourt. Houston drafted 6’4 guard Jalen Green second overall last summer (17 points per game last season) so it’s likely Washington will start out in a backup role. However, the NBA has become such a position-less sport so there’s also reason to believe he could carve out serious playing time this season.

Washington will also join former Auburn star Jabari Smith as the young Rockets roster looks to build a new culture and make a name for themselves as a group. Houston suddenly has a core group of young players in Green, Smith and Washington with Kevin Porter Jr. as well as Jae’Sean Tate. There are lots of guards in that group, so a few could be on the move for more size and skill in the front court. However, it appears Washington is there to stay (for now) in Houston.