With the University of Connecticut crowned as champions Monday night, this week marked the conclusion of the NCAA’s annual men’s college basketball tournament, known best as March Madness.
For the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets, who own two first-round picks in the 2023 NBA draft, the tournament showcased many intriguing prospects. Now, as the 2022-23 regular season winds down and the 2023 draft combine nears, the team’s scouting focus will only intensify in the coming weeks as they evaluate their options.
While the non-college prospects are headlined by French phenom Victor Wembanyama and NBA G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson, there were interesting prospects in the March Madness field, such as Alabama’s Brandon Miller and Houston’s Jarace Walker.
Those two prospects could be in play for the Rockets’ own pick, which is confirmed 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.
Entering April, here’s a roundup of who various draft experts project to Houston in new mock drafts, along with updated lottery odds.
2022-23 NBA standings on April 4
With only three games left to play in Houston’s 2022-23 regular season, here’s a look at teams within three games in the standings:
- 1. Detroit, 16-62
- 2. Houston, 19-60, 2.5 games back (GB)
- 3. San Antonio, 20-58, 4.0 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 trio of teams, which Houston is mathematically guaranteed to finish in, 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 the third-worst to No. 7.
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
- Paul Kasabian, Bleacher Report, No. 2 overall: Scoot Henderson (NBA G League Ignite: Guard, 19 years old, 6-2)
- Bryan Kalbrosky, For The Win, No. 2 overall: Scoot Henderson (NBA G League Ignite: Guard, 19 years old, 6-2)
- Sam Vecenie, The Athletic, No. 2 overall: Scoot Henderson (NBA G League Ignite: Guard, 19 years old, 6-2)
- Brad Rowland, Dime on UPROXX, No. 2 overall: Scoot Henderson (NBA G League Ignite: Guard, 19 years old, 6-2)
- Kevin O’Connor, The Ringer, No. 3 overall: Scoot Henderson (NBA G League Ignite: Guard, 19 years old, 6-2)
- 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)
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. 2 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
- Paul Kasabian, Bleacher Report, No. 18 overall: Taylor Hendricks (Central Florida: Forward, 19 years old, 6-9)
- Bryan Kalbrosky, For The Win, No. 20 overall: Dereck Lively II (Duke: Center, 19 years old, 7-1)
- Sam Vecenie, The Athletic, No. 19 overall: Brice Sensabaugh (Ohio State: Forward, 19 years old, 6-6)
- Brad Rowland, Dime on UPROXX, No. 19 overall: Leonard Miller (NBA G League Ignite: Forward, 19 years old, 6-10)
- Kevin O’Connor, The Ringer, No. 19 overall: Dereck Lively II (Duke: Center, 19 years old, 7-1)
- Tankathon, No. 18 overall: Rayan Rupert (New Zealand Breakers: Wing, 19 years old, 6-6)
- NBADraft.net, No. 19 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.
With the Los Angeles selection, remember that the publication date of each mock draft is responsible for the pick number. Depending on the day, the Clippers’ record relative to their peers could slightly raise or lower their projected draft slot in the first-round order.
