Does South Carolina Have the Houston Rockets' Next Forward?

As the Rockets look at what their decision is going to be with the 10th overall pick in this years NBA Draft, they seemingly will be attacking this draft with a best player available mindset.

Considering that their roster is loaded at almost every position, it’s safe to say that a mock draft like Sam Vecenie’s of The Athletic is very possible in Houston's future.

Vecenie has the Houston Rockets taking the South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles coming off of a spectacular sophomore season where he averaged 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

Mar 1, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Collin Murray-Boyles (30) celebrates a play against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Murray-Boyles is considered one of the best defenders in this year's draft class, with film and stats to back it up as he logged 1.3 blocks and 1.5 steals per game as well.

Interesting physical comp spit out by the DX historical measurement database for Collin Murray-Boyles with 4x time all-star and NBA champion Draymond Green. Little bigger, stronger and with a higher reach even, giving him significant potential to grow into defensively. pic.twitter.com/hm4wh1urmo
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 18, 2025

At age 19 he has plenty of room to develop his game even more and his sophomore season was a big indicator that his best basketball is still ahead of him. As a freshman at South Carolina, Murray-Boyles only averaged 10.4 points, so seeing a 6-point increase as a sophomore is definitely something for scouts to take note of.

He plays with a toughness and poise that is tailor-made for the playstyle that Ime Udoka has molded for the Houston Rockets, so his fit on the team would not be a question.

However, the wing/forward position is one of the most loaded for Houston with Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore and Tari Eason all set to return this season as of right now, although Whitmore and Eason have been featured in a few hypothetical trades before

If the Rockets are in a best player available mindset for this year's NBA Draft it would not be surprising to see the Gamecocks defensive wing end up in Houston.

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