Houston Rockets: 3 options for pick No. 2 after NBA Draft Lottery

Last night was a moment of relief for the Houston Rockets franchise. For weeks a dark cloud hung over the franchise as it apprehensively waited on the results of the NBA draft lottery. The Rockets’ anxiety was well warranted, as there was almost a fifty-fifty chance that they would leave the NBA draft lottery, fresh off of the worst record in the league, empty-handed.

If the Rockets pick landed outside of the top-four it would be swapped with the Miami Heat’s 18th pick via the Oklahoma City Thunder. Thankfully, the Rockets sent franchise icon, Hakeem Olajuwon, to swat away any and all anxiety.

With “The Dream” in tow, the Rockets’ nightmare scenario was avoided and they walked away from the NBA draft lottery with the number two overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. While securing the first pick would have been “the dream” scenario all over again, the second pick will still presumably give the Rockets a chance at every prospect not named Cade Cunningham.

Who should the Houston Rockets select in the 2021 NBA Draft?

The Rockets have a difficult decision to make with the second pick in the NBA draft. Cade Cunningham is the unanimous number one overall prospect, but after him, there is plenty of debate over who is the second-best player in this draft.

Should the Rockets go for the player with the most upside? The young man who is the surest thing? Or perhaps the player that fits best with their current roster? If Rafael Stone, the Rockets General Manager, is to be believed, the Rockets know exactly which type of player they’re going to target.

Stone: "The goal is to find a star player. That's always our goal. When you bring in young players, you're really looking for star potential." #Rockets

— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) June 23, 2021

If the Rockets view star potential as the most important quality with the second pick then that changes their thinking a little bit. These are the three options for the Rockets with the second overall pick ranked by their star potential.

Next: Star potential #3

Houston Rockets NBA Draft star potential #3: Jalen Suggs

Jalen Suggs, after Cade Cunningham, is probably the most famous player in this NBA Draft by virtue of his heroics against UCLA in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. The moment will live on forever in NCAA Tournament lore and will undoubtedly be replayed every year from here to eternity, or whenever the NCAA Tournament ceases to exist, next to the Christian Laettner shot and NC State’s airball to dunk to title moment.

Rafael Stone said he is looking for star potential but the type of star that Suggs already is not what he has in mind. There’s a major difference between being famous and an NBA superstar. Look no further than reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. Jokic is one of the league’s best players, a superstar on the court, but his fame lags significantly behind his on-court abilities.

Jalen Suggs is an incredible prospect and the likelihood that he bombs are about as low as it comes. He has tremendous athleticism, competitiveness, basketball IQ, and projects to be a plus on both ends of the court.

However, the chances that Suggs is elite on offense or defense is not as high as the other two prospects. The first concern with Suggs is that while incredibly athletic his shiftiness and lateral quickness may limit his ability to be an elite ball-handler in the NBA, which is a must for high usage guards.

The second is that while his jump shot looks pretty, the results were hardly elite in college. For a one-and-done player that wouldn’t normally be much of a concern but Suggs’ collegiate career was far from ordinary.

He played for the best team in the country, loaded with future NBA players, at Gonzaga that played in a conference with next to no NBA talent. Suggs wasn’t dealing with contested shots all night as he will in the NBA so his shot-making will have to improve to be a go-to scorer at the next level.

As a total package, Suggs might be the second-best prospect but his star potential is what lags behind. His feel for the game will mean that he will always be a strong passer but without an improvement to his jump-shot and shot-creating tricks his offensive ceiling will be limited to a very good second-option.

In all likelihood, Suggs will end up as a Jrue Holiday-like player who helps his team win by doing everything well, while not being elite at anyone thing. Stars are elite. That’s just how it is. If the Rockets select Suggs they’re getting a great player, but they might not be getting the star that they want.

Next: Star potential #2

Houston Rockets NBA Draft star potential #2: Evan Mobley

For a while it seemed like centers were going the way of the Dodo, but, unlike the Dodo, the center was able to evolve before it met its ultimate demise. Protecting the rim will always be a valuable skill and giant people are still the best at it, but no longer can one simply be a giant and a viable NBA center.

Fortunately, Evan Mobley offers everything that the modern NBA center needs to thrive. He is long, athletic, and explosive on the defensive end with the potential to be a defensive player of the year.

On offense, he is an elite finisher at the rim and has flashed potential as a jump shooter and facilitator. However, the most promising part of Mobley’s profile, and why he appears to be a star in the making, is his statistical peers.

Mobley led the NCAA in win shares as a freshman, the last three players to do that are Anthony Davis, Kevin Love, and Kevin Durant. He also led the NCAA in Box Plus/Minus, the only other freshmen to do that since 2010-11 (the first year they have data) are Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson.

If all you had were numbers, Mobley would be the clear can’t miss prospect in this draft but there is a reason he’s behind Cade Cunningham. To be a star in the NBA you can’t simply be a great defensive player and rim runner, look no further than Rudy Gobert.

Mobley flashes offensive potential but he is a long way off from realizing it. His jump shot is still developing and his passing will need to improve if he wants to be a true number one option on offense.

Mobley’s intriguing statistical track record will give the Rockets’ famed analytics department some serious food for thought. He has all the tools to be the type of star that no one talks about, a defensive anchor that is efficient on offense.

Mobley, to be a true star, has a long way to go, but his floor is an impactful defender and deadly rim runner. That’s not a bad outcome, but it’s not one that you want from the second overall pick who is supposed to be a star.

Next: Star potential #1

Houston Rockets NBA Draft star potential #1: Jalen Green

The 2021 NBA playoffs have reminded us that to be a true-blue superstar you have to be elite at putting the ball in the bucket. The NBA is an offense-first league and players that can go get their own bucket are still the soup du jour and no prospect has the ability to get their own shot better than Jalen Green.

Green combines elite athleticism, lateral agility, and burst with a devastating handle to carve up defenses. His jump shot, while still streaky, projects to be elite based upon his free throw shooting and the touch that he shows shots.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that Green averaged 17.9 points per game on 36.5-percent 3-point shooting and 52.9-percent 2-point shooting in the G-League as an 18-year-old. Green, against professionals, shooting from an NBA 3-point line, and at the age of a college freshman was a lethal offensive weapon.

To put it bluntly, Green is the best bet of any prospect from this draft to win a scoring title, and if there is one thing that makes a player a star, it’s scoring. From day one Green will provide highlights and bushels of points for whoever drafts him.

Now, Green isn’t a perfect prospect, his defense will take time and likely won’t ever be elite and his playmaking is still in its infancy. In today’s NBA, to be an elite offensive player it’s not good enough to simply be a go-to scorer.

Green won’t have to be the next coming of John Stockton as a passer to be an elite offensive player but he’ll need to improve his passing to justify having the ball in his hands constantly. While most draft boards have Green as the fourth-best prospect, his chances at being a bonafide star are probably second only to Cade Cunningham.

The Rockets might not view Green as the second-best player in this draft but he has everything needed to be a star. Rafael Stone says the Rockets are shooting for a star, their best bet might just be Jalen Green.