Houston Rockets Make Odd Choice

The 2024 NBA Draft cycle has finally come to a close, with the two-day event now behind us, and rookies have since traveled to their respective markets and begun speaking to the media as members of the team.

In the short term, the focus will be on free agency and trades. For the Houston Rockets, the priority is to build on a 41-41 season and improve the roster, as the playoffs could be coming soon.

The Rockets, in particular, are a team to watch for a big trade to acquire a star player, as their 19-win improvement from last season has them yearning for more talent.

Overall, draft analysts are already looking at the 2025 NBA draft class, although projections are difficult to make. The teams may be significantly different by this time next week. Yet CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish released a mock version way too early for the next cycle.

In the mock draft, the Rockets are picking in the final lottery, which would mean they would once again narrowly miss the playoffs. While that would be a disappointing result, they would be able to select solid talent, as the next draft group contains much more talent than the last.

With the No. 12 pick in the mock draft, the Rockets take Collin Murray-Boyles out of South Carolina. The 6-foot-7 forward just finished his first season with the Gamecocks, starting in 19 of his 28 appearances in his first season. He averaged 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds, although his 3-point shooting was non-existent.

“Despite being a sub-100 prospect in the Class of 2023, Murray-Boyles has emerged as a legitimate NBA prospect in his freshman year at South Carolina, where he averaged 10.4 points and 5.7 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game. The 6-7 forward may need to show growth as a shooter over the next year to secure a lottery spot, but Murray-Boyles is already very much on front offices’ radars, in part because of his defensive versatility,” Parrish wrote.

Drafting a non-shooter doesn’t seem viable for Houston at the moment. Unless they go all-in on a star and rebuild their roster around him, attracting someone like Murray-Boyles would seem counterproductive.

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