Ben DuBose, editor of The Rockets Wire, joins Next Up to discuss the Houston Rockets landing the No. 3 overall pick during the NBA draft lottery. The pick comes from the Brooklyn Nets as a part of the 2021 deal for James Harden, while the Rockets' own pick goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder from the Russell Westbrook trade in 2019. As this is the fourth consecutive year that the Rockets have a top-four pick in the draft, "it's a good time to be a Rockets fan," DuBose said.
Even though the Rockets saw a 19-win increase in their regular season record, they did not make the postseason, and DuBose says there are holes in shooting and defending that can be addressed with his pick. "You can always use more shooting," something that Kentucky Wildcats guard Reed Sheppard could provide, or a strong defender "who has a little bit of a different presence" than Alperen Şengün, such as UConn Huskies center Donovan Clingan.