Rockets 2-Round Mock Draft: A Duke Reunion In Houston?

In a recent mock draft, USA Today Sports has the Rockets selecting a pair of players who will be quite familiar with one another.

The Houston Rockets are just days away from finding out their draft position in the NBA Lottery. 

They currently sit with the best odds in the league to land the No. 1 pick, giving them a variety of options in what many consider a deep draft class. 

However, thanks to the James Harden trade to Brooklyn, the Rockets also hold a second first-round pick at No. 17, giving them another opportunity to add talent around Jalen Green and their young core.

On Monday, USA Today sports released a full two-round mock draft, with the Rockets adding a pair of talented prospects from one of the top programs in the country, the Duke Blue Devils. 

The Rockets do not currently have a second-round pick in the upcoming draft.  

You can view USA Today's picks for the Rockets below: 

1) Houston Rockets: Paolo Banchero

Duke Blue Devils: Big, Freshman, 6-10)

The Rockets would be thrilled to pair a player as dynamic as Paolo Banchero with an explosive scorer like Jalen Green.Banchero is a prospect who will offer NBA athleticism and fluidity from day one as a pro, and as he develops, he will continue to unlock new strengths as well. He was tough to stop, especially on the left baseline, at Duke. He also found ways to add value as an above-average passer and playmaker for his position.Banchero, with guard-like skills, could easily go No. 1 overall. However, if he falls to lower in the top 5, it wouldn’t shock me, either.

17) Houston Rockets (via BKN): Mark Williams

Duke Blue Devils: Big, Sophomore, 7-0)

I thought that Duke’s Mark Williams did wonders for his draft stock during the NCAA tournament and some scouts believe he may even be a better pro prospect than teammate AJ Griffin.

He is a defensive specialist, which will be his calling card in the NBA. But one of the reasons I’m sold on Williams is because he made the most of his role at Duke even when the offense did not run through him.

Despite a low usage rate, Williams was efficient when afforded the chance to score. That’s what most NBA teams are looking for in a modern big man, and Williams has already done exactly that.

As of now, the Rockets are a good bet to land the No. 1 pick, and as a result, Banchero, who averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game, while hitting 47.8 percent of his shots from the floor in his lone season at Duke.

However, based on recent history with the NBA Lottery, anything can happen. Either way, the Rockets will soon find out their draft position and will get to officially begin both planning their future and kick-starting their extensive rebuild.

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