Houston Rockets Address Long-Time Need in Mock Draft

The Houston Rockets have found themselves in constant need of a legitimate center, dating back to 2020, when they traded Clint Capela. The Rockets acquired Kelly Olynyk and Daniel Theis in subsequent seasons, but they had brief stints and came and went.

The Rockets brought in Jock Landale last offseason, who was lackluster for much of the season, forcing Jeff Green to fill the role of a reserve big man.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Sure, the Rockets have Alperen Sengun, but he's not a true center, by skillset. And he doesn't have the towering frame and build that centers typically have, as he's built more like a power forward.

The Rockets traded for Steven Adams at the trade deadline but he's on the wrong side of 30 and he's also coming off a major injury to his lower extremities -- there's no way to know if he'll be the same player.

And there's no reason to confidently assume that.

However, if the latest mock draft from Yahoo Sports' Krysten Peek holds true, the Rockets won't need to fret any longer, as she has the Rockets drafting Connecticut's Donovan Clingan with the third overall pick.

"The Rockets have invested heavily in guard play the last few drafts with Jalen Green and Amen Thompson last year. Adding Clingan to anchor the defense could bring some added size to bang with the talented centers in the Western Conference."

Clingan is dominant on the glass (7.4 rebounds and 2.5 offensive rebounds per contest last season) and has great lateral quickness and mobility, especially for someone who just measured at 7-foot-2 and 282 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine.

Clingan projects as a true rim protector, which is aided by his near 7-foot-7 wingspan and 9-foot-7 standing reach. It's unknown whether the Rockets' brass will actually use the pick on selecting a player from this year’s class, but Clingan has been the popular pick in recent mock drafts for the Rockets at number three.

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