Houston Rockets: Why Alessandro Gentile?

It’s a great time to be a Houston Rockets’ fan right now — after all the struggles, injuries, heartache and pain that I’ve seen over the years, it’s good that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

But some things never change.

Daryl Morey, our saavy general manager, was able to deftly figure out another way to get another draft pick in addition to the two picks that were awarded to the Rockets this year.

In a late move toward the draft to seize a wonderful opportunity, the Rockets bought the Minnesota Timberwolves 53rd pick so that they can continue to load up on foreign prospects that don’t make a direct hit on the team’s salary cap.

Who did they get?

They got Alessandro Gentile, a 6’6,” 2oo-pound guard from Italy. Although the name might not sound too familiar, he is one of the top players in the country. He primarily is a wingman but is doing what he can to be the ultimate swingman.

His team just won the Italian League title yesterday and he was named the Finals MVP!

The timing couldn’t have been more right.

Gentile, 21, is player with natural talent having played professional basketball since he was 17-years-old. He signed with the storied Benetton Treviso franchise and worked hard to be a valuable part of the rotation in his first year with the team.

As we flash forward to the present day, he just gets better and better.

According to DraftExpress, his strengths are that he is a prolific scorer, a sharpshooter, moves well with the ball and has added a solid passing game to his repertoire. He is a jump shooter by trade but has improved enough to where he can create his own shot off the pick-and-roll as well as playing one-on-one.

The player that he is most oft-compared to is Andres Nocioni.