Houston Rockets Land Kentucky Sharpshooter in Mock Draft

In the latest mock draft, the Houston Rockets walk away with one of the better 3-and-D prospects in recent years.

Mar 21, 2024; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari talks to Kentucky / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets head into Sunday's lottery reveal with two draft picks, although it's expected that they will lose their own pick, as it's owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder, so long as it falls out of the top four picks. The Brooklyn Nets' pick, which the Rockets hold, figures to be a valuable pick, as there's over a 50 percent chance that it falls within the top ten.

It's unknown whether the Rockets will keep the pick, as there have rumblings suggesting that the franchise may want to move the pick for more future draft picks. This seems like a logical move, as the Rockets already have an abundance of young prospects.

Finding playing time for yet another one would be a daunting task. But the Rockets would obviously have to find a deal of their liking and that hasn't happened yet.

There's a real chance that they end up using the pick on a player. And according to The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, the pick could be used on Kentucky's Reed Sheppard, who O'Connor views as a potential long-term replacement for Fred VanVleet, who has just one guaranteed year remaining on his current contract.

"As a smaller guard who can provide some shot creation to support the rest of the team, Sheppard could make sense as a long-term replacement for Fred VanVleet. Some of the concerns about his size could also be mitigated in Houston, just like they currently are for FVV,” said O’Connor.

Sheppard isn't an elite athlete but his fundamentals surely make up for it. He has an elite outside shot, as he made over 52 percent of his 3-pointers (on 4.4 attempts). All told, he averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 53.6 percent from the field, and 83.1 percent from the foul line, in addition to his stellar mark from deep.

Defensively, Sheppard is an absolute menace. He averaged 2.5 steals and nearly a block per contest by simply having a keen awareness and high IQ. If the Rockets get the ninth pick and are able to select Sheppard, they'd easily be getting one of the best players in the 2024 draft class.

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