This week marks the beginning of the NCAA’s annual men’s basketball tournament, known best as March Madness (bracket).
For the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets, who will own two first-round picks in the 2023 NBA draft, it brings hope for the future.
While the non-college prospects are headlined by French phenom Victor Wembanyama and NBA G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson, there are intriguing prospects in the March Madness field, such as Alabama’s Brandon Miller and Houston’s Jarace Walker.
Those two prospects may be in play for the Rockets’ own pick, which is likely to land in the draft’s top six or seven overall selections, pending results from the draft lottery. Many other players are in the mix for Houston’s second selection, which will likely be headed their way from the Clippers in the middle-to-late first round.
Here’s a roundup of who the various draft experts project to Houston in this month’s mock drafts, along with the latest lottery odds.
2022-23 NBA standings on March 15
Teams within five games of Houston in the standings:
- 1. Detroit, 16-54
- 2. Houston, 16-52, 1.0 games back (GB)
- 3. San Antonio, 18-50, 3.0 GB
- 4. Charlotte, 22-49, 5.5 GB
These teams lose much more than they win. Thus, the win column is what matters the most, since those update much less frequently. Each of these teams will finish with the 2022-23 regular season with the same number of games (82), even if they’re uneven now.
The bottom-three teams have identical odds of landing a top-four pick in the May 16 draft lottery. However, there is a difference in the “floor” scenarios for those franchises. The team with the worst record cannot fall below No. 5 in the first-round order, whereas the second-worst team can drop to as low as No. 6, and so on.
Draft lottery odds, if Rockets finish with second-worst record
- No. 1: 14%
- No. 2: 13.4%
- No. 3: 12.7%
- No. 4: 12%
- No. 5: 27.8%
- No. 6: 20.0%
(pick odds via Tankathon)
Projections for Houston’s 2023 first-round pick
- Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report, No. 2 overall: Scoot Henderson (NBA G League Ignite: Guard, 19 years old, 6-2)
- Bryan Kalbrosky, For The Win, No. 1 overall: Victor Wembanyama (France’s Metropolitans 92: Big, 19 years old, 7-2)
- Kevin O’Connor, The Ringer, No. 5 overall: Jarace Walker (Houston: Forward, 19 years old, 6-8)
- Tankathon, No. 2 overall: Scoot Henderson (NBA G League Ignite: Guard, 19 years old, 6-2)
- NBADraft.net, No. 2 overall: Brandon Miller (Alabama: Forward, 20 years old, 6-9)
- Enzo Flojo, Clutch Points, No. 2 overall: Scoot Henderson (NBA G League Ignite: Guard, 19 years old, 6-2)
- Rowan Kent, Hoops Habit, No. 2 overall: Scoot Henderson (NBA G League Ignite: Guard, 19 years old, 6-2)
Check out Tankathon’s latest 2023 NBA draft big board for statistics and additional information on these prospects and beyond.
Keep in mind some of these slot projections (i.e. No. 1 overall) are based simply on current records, while others are compiled based on a draft lottery simulation. Click on the direct link to each of these mock drafts for specific details regarding their methodology.
Projections for Houston’s 2023 first-round pick via Clippers
- Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report, No. 19 overall: Rayan Rupert (New Zealand Breakers: Wing, 19 years old, 6-6)
- Bryan Kalbrosky, For The Win, No. 19 overall: Leonard Miller (NBA G League Ignite: Forward, 19 years old, 6-10)
- Kevin O’Connor, The Ringer, No. 17 overall: Jett Howard (Michigan: Wing, 19 years old, 6-8)
- Tankathon, No. 19 overall: Kel’el Ware (Oregon: Center, 19 years old, 7-0)
- NBADraft.net, No. 16 overall: Taylor Hendricks (Central Florida: Forward, 19 years old, 6-9)
- Enzo Flojo, Clutch Points, No. 20 overall: Jett Howard (Michigan: Wing, 19 years old, 6-8)
- Rowan Kent, Hoops Habit, No. 20 overall: Kris Murray (Iowa: Forward, 22 years old, 6-8)
Check out Tankathon’s latest 2023 NBA draft big board for statistics and additional information on these prospects and beyond.
