Rockets’ Rebuild Propelled Through NBA Draft-Built Core

Houston’s vast young core, which has the potential to be the best in the league soon, has been built through the NBA Draft.

It’s been a tough road for Houston since the divergence of franchise legend James Harden a few years back. But through that, they’ve been able to amass one of the bigger and better young cores in the league.

Now, with names like Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr., they have a plethora of options to move forward with.

Draft Digest writer Derek Parker recently broke down where Houston goes from here via his YouTube channel:

The first domino for Houston was grabbing Green second overall in the 2021 draft, followed by the selection Sengun at No. 16. Both have been the one-two punch for Houston over the last couple of seasons, but with the addition of more young players and veterans like Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and more in the offseason, might have to compete more for minutes than years past.

Smith and Tari Eason were the team’s top two selections in 2022, and are in a smilier position. Both offer quality length and defense to near-any lineup.

And finally there’s Thompson and Cam Whitmore, who were selected No. 4 and 20 overall in 2023, respectively. And both of which offer potential star upside as dynamic athletes with strong scoring packages.

The Rockets’ next step will be to find their No. 1 option moving forward. And with the aforementioned talent acquired through the draft, they’ve got plenty of options.

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