NBA Mock Draft 9.0: What if Blazers win the No. 1 pick; Rockets take big risk at No. 4

4. Houston Rockets – Anthony Black, G, Arkansas

At least in my opinion, unless something drastically changes between now and the NBA Draft, the No. 4 pick is where the draft will truly begin. In one order or another, the top three picks are going to be Victor, Scoot, and Miller. After that, there’s a lot of uncertainty. After falling out of the top 3, the Houston Rockets have the privilege of truly putting their fingerprints all over this draft. In this NBA Mock Draft, they don’t go chalk.

Instead of taking the player that perhaps many believe they would be taking in Amen Thompson, they will go with Anthony Black instead. Thompson could be a wonky fit next to Jalen Green and I believe Black would be a better objective fit as a selfless, pass-first type of player. I’m not saying Amen can’t be that type of guard, but we’ve seen it from Black at a high level.

Black is not the flashiest of players but he makes a conscious effort to find the true difference-makers on the offensive end and puts them in a position to succeed. The Rockets lacked that this past season and with as much talent as they have on their roster, he would be an excellent addition.