After not getting drafted in Thursday night's NBA Draft, St. John's guard Shamorie Ponds announced that he has signed a free-agent contract with the Houston Rockets. The ex-star of the Red Storm was expected to either get picked in the second round or quickly get signed after the draft.
Blessed for this Opportunity.. Im Officially a Houston Rocket.. ------ #LetsGetIt pic.twitter.com/fy9HrPFKDN
— Shamorie Ponds (@ShamorieP) June 21, 2019
Ponds will play with Houston in the NBA Summer League. The left-handed point guard led the Johnnies to the NCAA Tournament last year in his junior year. Ponds averaged 19.7 PPG and 5.1 APG while shooting 35.3% from three-point range. He was an All-Big East pick in his sophomore and junior seasons. He will join James Harden as the two lefties on the Rockets, if he does make the team.
Ponds has the chance to make the Rockets with a strong summer, especially with a strong chance Chris Paul is going to be gone. He can score at will and attack the rim and is a good passer. Houston is a fast-paced team that is a great fit for the 6'1" point guard.
One local that did get selected Thursday night was Hofstra guard Justin Wright-Foreman. The Utah Jazz selected the high-scoring left-hander with the 53rd overall pick. Just like Ponds, he's a lefty that joins another star lefty in town, newly-acquired Mike Conley Jr.
Wright-Foreman averaged 27.1 PPG in his senior season with the Pride, leading them to a CAA regular season championship and an NIT aappearance. He improved every season with Hofstra, going from 3.6 PPG to 18.1 PPG as a sophomore and 24.4 PPG as a junior. He was the CAA's Player of the Year the last two seasons.
From @HofstraU to the @UtahJazz! #RoarWithPride pic.twitter.com/zViVbVdwtG
— Hofstra Basketball (@HofstraMBB) June 21, 2019As a Hofstra alum myself that has seen Wright-Foreman up close, this kid can light up the scoring sheet. That's his game. He is a pure scorer. When he's got, he makes shots and attacks the rack at all. He can also take it way beyond the three-point line, making shots well beyond NBA range. Wright-Foreman has a legit chance to backup the All Star Conley, which is a lethal left-handed duo if the Jazz go that route. Pair those two with Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz have themselves a high-powered backcourt that will cause problems for teams.
The last Hofstra player selected in the NBA Draft was Charles Jenkins, who the Warriors took with the 44th pick in 2011. Jenkins played part of two seasons for the Warriors before a few months with the Sixers. He then went to play overseas in Serbia, Italy and is now playing in Russia. Before Jenkins, it was current Hofstra assistant coach Speedy Claxton, who was picked 20th in 2000 NBA Draft by the Sixers. Claxton played eight years in the NBA and won a championship with the Spurs in 2003.
Follow Jake (a proud Hofstra alum) on Twitter @JakeBrownRadio.
