5. Houston Rockets – Ausar Thompson, G, Overtime Elite
The Houston Rockets are in an interesting spot at No. 5. In what could be described as a guard-heavy top of the draft, any spot would actually work out pretty well for this team in terms of team needs. Landing a point guard of the future should be the goal. And with Scoot and Amen off the board, Ausar Thompson may be the next best prospect at No. 5. Much like his brother, though, Ausar is also going to be somewhat of a project.
Ausar has shown a slightly better shooting ability and is also a good defender (the hope is that translates to the next level). If he can prove to be a great playmaker, there’s no reason to believe that he can’t be selected in the top 5. He’s also a great athlete that should offer whichever team drafts him the versatility to play him all over the floor, as he stands at 6-foot-7.
The Rockets are a team that is tired of losing. I’m not sure if drafting Thompson would immediately pay dividends for the Rockets to make a big jump in the Western Conference standings but it’s a move that could end up paying off in the long run.
With a core of Thompson, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith, and Alperen Şengün, the team could be in very good hands moving forward.