Rockets Projected to Land BYU Star in Latest NBA Mock Draft

The Houston Rockets have gotten off to a hot start this NBA season in terms of shooting. Despite ranking in the basement of the league in terms of three-point attempts, they are knocking them down at an insane clip, shooting at or around 40% on most nights.

Houston has taken a massive offensive leap with the addition of Kevin Durant, but the shooting has been stellar from the development of other players as well. Reed Sheppard, most notably, has shown so much with more minutes, shooting above 40% from the field, averaging nearly 14 points per game.

However, teams nowadays can never have too much range. The Rockets aren't in the mix for a generational star like AJ Dybantsa (for obvious reasons), but they are projected to land his BYU teammate in Bleacher Report's latest NBA mock draft from Jonathan Wasserman.

Houston is predicted to select Richie Saunders, a 6-foot-5 wing averaging 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game on incredible 51-41-84 shooting splits. He is second on the team in scoring, behind Dybantsa, and ranks third in three-point percentage behind Dawson Baker and Robert Wright III.

"Richie Saunders has been one of the most productive off-ball scoring guards in the country averaging 20.1 points," Wasserman wrote. "The additions of AJ Dybantsa and Robert Wright have helped simulate an NBA role for the senior.

"Generating most of his offense by drilling spot-up and movement threes, Saunders is capitalizing on the attention paid to BYU's higher-gravity scorers/playmakers."

Saunders is an excellent movement shooter, able to position himself away from help defenders and knock down tough threes off the catch. However, he has also displayed the ability to score off the dribble, working his way through the defense on occasion. Wasserman has his pro comparison as Ben Sheppard, a knockdown shooter getting good minutes for the Indiana Pacers.

It's a long way from now, but Saunders could realistically be a lesser version of Reed Sheppard if he were to end up in Houston. He is a decently sized shooter with an estimated 6-foot-9 wingspan. He could be a spark plug off the bench.

What's more is that at 24 years old, his floor is high. While he doesn't have the insane potential that younger college stars do, Saunders' experience in big games over the course of his career could be a big help to NBA teams looking to compete right now.