Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed rookie forward Patrick Patterson to a multi-year contract. Per team policy, financial terms were not released. Patterson, who was an early entry candidate out of Kentucky, was selected by the Rockets in the first round (14th overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft.
Patterson (6-9, 235, Kentucky) finished his three-year career at Kentucky with averages of 16.1 points (.585, 617-1054 FG; .329, 24-73 3FG), 8.2 rebounds and 1.57 blocks in 97 career games (97 starts). He was one of five Wildcats picked in the opening round of the 2010 NBA Draft, which was the first time five players from one school were chosen in the first round of the draft. A 2007 McDonald’s All-American as a high school senior, Patterson became the 10th fastest player to reach the 1,000-point club at UK (58 games). He was a two-time All-SEC First-Team pick as a junior and sophomore, as well as a Second-Team selection as a freshman.
Patterson averaged 14.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.34 blocks in 38 starts as a junior, earning First-Team All-SEC, AP Honorable Mention All-America, USBWA All-District IV Team and NABC All-District 21 Second-Team honors. The only SEC player to rank in the league’s top-five in scoring (17.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg) in 2008-09, Patterson also shot a career-high .603 (240-398 FG) from the field and blocking 70 shots (2.06 bpg) as a sophomore. He was named First-Team All-SEC and NABC Second-Team All-District in 2008-09. Patterson averaged 16.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in garnering SEC Co-Freshman of the Year accolades by league coaches. He was also named Second-Team All-SEC and NABC Second-Team All-District in 2007-08, adding SEC Freshman of the Week honors three times.
In addition, Patterson was selected for the 2007 USA Basketball Junior National Select Team, and was the MVP of the 2006 National Basketball Players Association Top-100 Camp.
