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The Houston Rockets have won the third pick in the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery. The lottery is used to determine the first 14 picks in the draft. The first four picks will be determined by a drawing, with picks five through 14 being decided by inverting the 2022 records for the remaining teams giving the worst team remaining the fifth pick. Now that the No. 3 overall pick has been determined, who should the Rockets take to try and not wind up in the same position next year?
2022 NBA Mock Draft: Who should Rockets take third?
The Rockets have the luxury of waiting on who the Magic and Thunder take with the top two picks. They’ll likely go with whoever of Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith and Paolo Banchero is left but Keegan Murray is an intriguing option as well for the Rockets. Houston has a young guard in Jalen Green, so Jaden Ivey might not make sense here.
Pick: One of Chet Holmgren/Jabari Smith/Paolo Banchero
It’s truly unknown how the top of this draft will shake out. Luckily for Houston, all three players listed fit the bill for the rebuild. I think the Rockets would secretly want Banchero to fall to them at No. 3, but they’ll gladly take Holmgren or Smith if that’s how it shakes out.