2025 NBA Mock Draft: Latest mock has Rockets taking risk they can't pass up

The Houston Rockets have needs.

By all accounts, two needs stand above the rest. The Rockets need a bona fide superstar who can create offense at will. They also need shooting. With such fundamental needs unaccounted for, it's no small miracle that the Rockets sit in second in the Western Conference with 49 wins.

Such is the paradox of Rockets basketball. Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green seem to intermittently alternate between being the Rockets' "guy". Otherwise, the team offsets a lack of shooting with a surplus of rebounding, defense, and grit. It's made for a fun product in 2024-25, but it's also left room for improvement.

Luckily, the Rockets have the means to make those improvements. They have a surplus of draft capital. They could use their upcoming first-round picks to trade for players who satisfy those needs or draft them. A new mock draft from Bleacher Report has them possibly doing neither:

It's a risk worth taking anyway.

Rockets select high ceiling project player in latest mock

Bleacher Report's new mock has Houston selecting Illinois's Kasparas Jakucionis with the 12th overall pick.

That's an intriguing selection. Jakucionis is a player who'd garnered high lottery consideration throughout this draft cycle. It's possible that his 31.8% three-point shooting is putting scouts off. A lead ball-handler with a shaky jumper always makes for a questionable NBA prospect.

We've arrived at the problem. The Rockets have a dire need for shooting. Shouldn't they, of all teams, avoid Jakucionis?

That depends on your draft philosophy.

Rockets should eye potential in 2025 draft

Firstly, it should be noted that poor college shooting doesn't always portend poor NBA shooting. Jakucionis has a reasonably fluid jumper. There is reason to hope that he'll improve as his NBA career progresses.

That's a secondary point. The primary point is that, if you'll pardon the pun, Jakucionis has the potential to be a primary point. His remarkable floor vision, shiftiness and craftiness, and positional size (6'5") give him the profile of a potential NBA star.

The Rockets need shooting, but they also need a primary offensive option. Jakucionis could be that guy. He could also be a bust, but his potential is strong enough that the Rockets should find out.

Does he step on toes? Sure. Drafting another point guard brings Reed Sheppard's place on this team into question. Amen Thompson has firmly established himself as a building block, but if Jakucionis hits, he'll be plying his trade as a wing.

These are valid concerns, but they shouldn't stop Houston from drafting Jakucionis. Sheppard's ability remains unknown, and Thompson's portability has become obvious. Passing on Jakucionis to placate Sheppard and watching him become a better player is a doomsday scenario that would be best avoided. The Rockets should draft Jakucionis if he's on the board:

They'll just have to find shooting elsewhere.