25. Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets lucked themselves into Jabar Smith, who was bypassed by the Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder with the top two picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. But their loss is Houston’s gain.
Dubbed as one of the most NBA-ready prospects heading into the draft, it’ll be interesting to see just how accurate that label ends up being for Smith. If he can be the scorer that he showed he could be during his freshman season at Auburn, he could certainly take some of the pressure off of Jalen Smith and Kevin Porter Jr.
The Rockets have one of the most talented young rosters in the Western Conference. The next step is consistency and competing for a spot in the playoffs. I’m not sure if they’re quite ready for that second part just yet, though.