Ranking 5 big men the Houston Rockets could select in 2024 NBA Draft

The NBA used to be the land of the big man. If your team wasn't built around a living giant who dominated the paint, you were doing it wrong.

Yet, the league is in a constant state of flux. The big man died. It became a guard's league - or wait, is it a wing's league? Either way, the big man went the way of the dinosaur.

Welcome to Jurassic Park. Specifically, welcome to Jurassic Park 4: that's the one where the dinosaurs have weapons.

The big man is back, and he's better than ever. In a world without injuries, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid would be fighting for the league's MVP award annually. Giannis Antetokoumnpo isn't precisely a big man, but he's certainly got some center in his DNA.

The Houston Rockets have a young, star big man as well. Alperen Sengun has limitless potential. Could they draft another big this summer anyway?

It's possible. The Rockets may seek a long-term backup for Sengun with more defensive value. They could look to pair him with another big in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, they could simply see too much potential in a young center to pass up.

Here's our ranking of five big men the Rockets could look at.

5. Zach Edey, Purdue

We've already compared big men to dinosaurs. Edey is a brontosaurus. At 7'4" and 300 pounds, the Purdue big man is - well, a big, big man.

Is he too big? It's possible. There are ample questions about Edey's defensive potential at the NBA level. He should be able to protect the rim in drop coverage, but he's also likely to get targeted mercilessly in pick-and-roll actions.

That's the same concern that some fans have about Sengun. So, Edey isn't a suitable target for the Rockets. He can't play alongside Sengun, and he can't make up for his potential weakness in a situation where the Rockets need him too.

He's a hard pass from us.