3 team needs the Rockets must address in the NBA Draft

The days of perennial playoff contention are over for the Houston Rockets. And as the franchise puts the James Harden era in the rear-view mirror, they will be shifting their sights toward acquiring young talent through the NBA Draft.

However, building a team through the draft can often be an arduous process, requiring a lot of trial and error if one goes into the process without a clear plan.

3 team needs the Rockets must address in the NBA Draft

With that in mind, the Rockets have a tall order before them. As they explore how to move forward with their rebuild, they are faced with roster needs on virtually all sides.

If the Rockets hope to get back on the right track, they must diagnose their team needs so that they can go into the draft with a cohesive plan of attack. With that being said, let’s take a look at 3 things the Rockets will need moving forward.

Next: No. 3

Houston Rockets need #3: Primary Ball Handler

In short, the Houston Rockets have struggled on the offensive end this season, posting the fourth-lowest offensive rating in the league.

While there are many factors at play as to why this rating is so low, one could argue that the most apparent reason is the lack of a primary ball handler to serve as the engine that makes the whole machine hum.

On paper, a player like John Wall may seem to fit this role. However, Wall is a score-first guard who is very ball dominant. In order to prove this point, look no further than the frustration from Christian Wood after a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in March.

Christian Wood asked about the most frustrating part of the game: “We’re not playing together..Just the ball movement. I think we had 16 assists as a team. We should definitely have more than that..I would like to be more involved in the offense going down the stretch.” pic.twitter.com/42UHuCrBhJ

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) March 21, 2021

And Wood’s frustration is not misguided either. As a Most Improved Player of the Year candidate, Wood should be an integral part of the Rockets’ offense down the stretch, particularly as a pick-and-roll threat.

However, there have been far too many times throughout the season where the Rockets’ lack of a true lead ball handler has prevented Wood from being utilized to his fullest extent.

If the Rockets want to take the next step in their rebuild, they should eye promising ball handlers like Cade Cunningham or Jalen Suggs if they maintain their pick in the high lottery.

Next: No. 2

Houston Rockets need #2: Versatile Front Court Help

After the emergence of Christian Wood, the Houston Rockets seem to have their center for the future. However, one of the few weaknesses in Christian Wood’s game is his lack of strength, particularly against the other stronger big men in the league.

In order to mitigate this, the Rockets could look to take a big man early in the draft, namely Evan Mobley. Mobley not only projects to become a stout paint defender, he also provides versatility both on the offensive and defensive end.

On offense, Mobley can play both down low, and on the perimeter. This will compliment Wood’s game tremendously, putting two offensively versatile big men on the floor at one time.

Defensively, once Mobley grows more into his body, he will be able to take some of the pressure off of Wood as a low-post rim protector. Beyond the synergy that these two players could present, there is another latent benefit to prioritizing a talented young front court player in the draft.

As mentioned before, Mobley will need time to grow into his body, as many young centers do in the NBA. But given the luxury of an already established Christian Wood, Mobley will be able to take his time developing in to the player he is supposed to become, and lean on Wood for veteran guidance.

Next: No. 1

Houston Rockets need #1: Best Player Available

At the end of the day, the Houston Rockets are in the early days of a complete rebuild. As a team at the bottom of the NBA, Houston does not have the luxury of being picky when it comes to young talent.

Going into this offseason, as they evaluate all of the talent in this year’s draft, the Rockets will have to recognize that they are functioning from a talent deficit relative to the rest of the league. And the only way to overcome that is take some big swings at young players, regardless of positional need.

While this may be more clear cut at the top of the draft, this is also true for the mid-round picks that the Rockets will have.

As the draft moves past the first four picks this year, the waters become much murkier when evaluating talent; “sure thing” prospects become non-existent, and a team’s big board becomes much more subjective.

Because of this, as the Rockets begin to consider who to take in the middle of the first round, they must be careful not to try to overthink their evaluations and go with who they believe will be the best future NBA player, regardless of position or fit.