Is this good news? I’m not sure.
Well, there you have it, Houston Rockets fans. The suspense ended somewhat early, as the Rockets pulled the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery. For all of the conspiracy theorists out there, the San Antonio Spurs snagged the top pick and the rights to Victor Wembenyama, something many of us had been predicting for months as a forgone conclusion as a way to help nudge the longtime powerhouse Spurs back in relevancy.
The Charlotte Hornets were second, getting the likely rights to point guard Scoot Henderson, while the Portland Trail Blazers managed to leapfrog Houston for the number three pick.
At four, the Rockets are looking at one of either Amen or Ausar Thompson, Cam Whitmore or Anthony Black. Another likely scenario is either a trade down or even a potential trade out of the draft altogether. With no generational talent left after the top two picks, it’s questionable whether Houston will even have a spot for another top draft pick, particularly after any free agent plans materialize.
So while the lottery isn’t a total loss — the Rockets do have a pick with some value attached to it — it’s certainly not the result Rockets fans were looking for. We’ll be staying tuned in the coming weeks and giving you all the potential possibilities for what the Rockets could, would and should do with that fourth overall pick.
In case you missed the lottery, there weren’t too many major suprises, with the first half going right according to odds and no huge upsets until the top half. Here are the final lottery results:
- San Antonio Spurs
- Charlotte Hornets
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Houston Rockets
- Detroit Pistons
- Orlando Magic
- Indiana Pacers
- Washington Wizards
- Utah Jazz
- Dallas Mavericks
- Orlando Magic
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Toronto Raptors
- New Orleans Pelicans