The Rockets make a safe bet with the third pick

Heading into next week’s 2024 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets find themselves in a position of leverage. The franchise is on the rise, having nearly doubled its win total from the previous season.

Still, they managed to secure another top-three draft pick, via the Brooklyn Nets.

The Rockets don’t necessarily need the pick, due to the young talent accumulated throughout the Rockets’ rebuild, hence the openness and willingness of the Rockets to negotiate the pick, if they find an agreement of their own. taste.

This last part is the hardest part and the Rockets leadership is not motivated to move just for the sake of moving.

It’s unclear what general manager Rafael Stone will do if the team retains the pick, as the team has multiple needs. In fact, the Rockets don’t even know what they’re doing yet, as it will depend heavily on what happens in front of them.

For this reason, draft prognosticators like to predict the Rockets’ pick at number three because it’s largely a mystery. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic’s latest mock draft has the Rockets taking Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard.

Vecenie’s explanation is below.

“The Rockets don’t have a ‘need’ among their young core at the position, allowing them to explore multiple avenues with this pick. Unsurprisingly, league sources continue to believe the Rockets will consider ‘to exchange.

For now, I went with Sheppard. His stock is polarized, with more analytically inclined organizations viewing him as a No. 1 prospect and others viewing him more as a late lottery pick due to his lack of size. The Rockets can afford to take a chance as he is an ideal connecting piece for their young talent. In particular, he’s a sniper, which is the one skill this young core lacks.

While Smith can hit from the perimeter, Green has had streaks of great shooting and Whitmore has the potential to fill it, teams aren’t guarding Eason, and neither Şengün nor Thompson are competent marksmen.

Sheppard also thinks the game at an elite level and moves the ball quickly to get everyone involved. He averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting an absurd 53.6 percent from the field and 52.1 percent from 3. He also blocked close of one shot per game and made 2.5 interceptions.

If the Rockets select Sheppard, they would be immensely better at long-range shooting, and they would also strengthen their game.

Both of these were major gaps for the franchise last year.

Want to join the discussion? As Inside the rockets on Facebook and Follow us on twitter to stay up to date with all the latest Rockets news. You can also meet the team behind the cover.