Houston Rockets select UConn Star combo guard

The NBA Draft is in a few weeks, which means organizations have a better understanding of the direction they will take with their selections in the draft. For the Houston Rockets, however, this decision won’t be easy.

The Rockets not only have the third overall pick, but also have a unique roster situation that needs to be resolved. In most mock drafts, the Rockets should solve the shooting woes by taking Kentucky freshman Reed Sheppard. UConn’s Donovan Clingan was an interesting name thrown around.

Of course, the Rockets could always move the pick to adhere to their win-now mentality. In Yahoo Sports’ recent 2024 NBA Draft, Krysten Peek projected that the Rockets would select UConn freshman Stephon Castle.

“Castle has been one of the best defenders in college basketball this season and followed that up with a strong shooting performance at the combine. He has great size and is a potential superstar in this draft with his play in both meaning and his potential as a combo guard,” Peek wrote.

The Rockets have struggled defensively at times. Smith Jr. and Brooks helped the team turn things around on that end of the court, and Castle would only strengthen that further. Sengun isn’t quite a defensive anchor, so catching him elsewhere might be the best move.

Castle, a 6-foot-7 guard, averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game with UConn during his lone season of college basketball, earning him a victory in the national championship.

Not exactly a good shooter, Castle doesn’t really fit that need for the Rockets, but he’s a solid combo guard who would elevate the team’s defense even further. With that, Castle would come off the bench behind VanVleet and Green, helping to provide key minutes at the guard position.

Regardless of which direction the team takes with the draft, the Rockets still have decisions to make in subsequent seasons in terms of who to retain, who to focus on during development, and overall who to build around.

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