NBA Mock Draft: Intriguing Rockets target slips in new mock

The Houston Rockets don't "need" anymore young talent.

Note the emphasis on need. Needs can be tricky to pinpoint. Human beings need water and shelter - do they also need love?

Enough amateur philosophy. The Rockets may not need young talent, but every team can always use quality young players. Plenty of analysts expect the Rockets to trade the Suns pick they own in the next draft. They could do that. The contending Rockets could use an injection of veteran talent to help them win.

Still, they could easily justify keeping the pick. The Rockets could take several directions with the pick, too. They could target a player who is a good with with this roster - Liam McNeeley or Kon Knueppel could be ready to contribute from day one. By contrast, they could simply go for the player they think has the highest upside and sort out the rotation later.

If that's the route they take, Duke's Khaman Maluach is intriguing: and he might just be on the board when the Rockets make their choice.

Intriguing Rockets target slips in new mock

At least, HoopsHype likes the odds of Maluach being available. They've got him slipping to 14th in their latest aggregate mock draft.

Granted, this could be a bit misleading. That's not HoopsHype's fault - they're simply aggregating mock drafts around the internet. As they clarify in their aggregate mock, Maluach has been mocked as high as fifth overall, and as low as 27th.

Whoever mocked him to go 27th is certainly going against the grain. It's rare to find Maluach in that area of the draft. Typically, he falls within the top 10.

We don't know where the Suns pick will land, or which teams may gamble on Maluach. He's raw, but he's got one of the highest ceilings in this class.

Is he a fit for the Rockets?

Rockets could experiment with Maluach on the roster

It depends on your open-mindedness to jumbo ball.

It seems that Ime Udoka is open to the concept. The Rockets have been pairing Alperen Sengun with Steven Adams lately. Perhaps that's partly a function of necessity, but the results speak for themselves. Houston's Net Rating with their two bigs on the floor has remained impressive.

It doesn't follow that Maluach could play with Sengun. Adams and Sengun are succeeding by overwhelming opponents with sheer mass. Adams is perhaps the strongest player in the NBA. His ability to screen and grab rebounds is integral to the success of those lineups.

Maluach is closer to the Wembanyama/Holmgren/Sarr build. He's relatively slender, and his lateral mobility at his height is outrageous.

It's possible that that trait would help him succeed with Sengun differently.

Ultimately, Maluach's floor spacing could dictate his ability to play with the Rockets' star. He's been a shaky shooter in general, but he does have some positive shooting indicators. Either way, the Rockets should take a look at him if they like his upside. If he hits but doesn't fit with Sengun, that's a good problem to create.

The Rockets may not need him, but if he reaches his potential, they'll be happy to have him regardless.