The Houston Rockets are in a favorable position ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft. General Manager Rafael Stone is working with a top pick to pair with Jalen Green and the rest of Houston's young roster.
While many eyes are on the third pick, the Rockets also have an opportunity for a home-run selection using the 17th pick in the draft. This year's lottery is overloaded with talent, meaning there will be some high-upside prospects left on the board for the Rockets' second draft selection.
Houston should look to make a big splash with th pick following the success of last year's No. 16 pick Alperen Sengun. The Turkish big averaged 9.6 points and 2.6 assists, showing major flashes of potential. Sengun speaks to the abilities of the Rockets' draft war room.
In recent mock drafts, some common names at 17 have been Ty Ty Washington, Dyson Daniels and Nikola Jokic. They're all talented players who can put the ball on the floor and create energy on both ends for Houston.
This handful of prospects isn't the only group that Houston could see at 17. Here are three of high-ceiling players who the Rockets should take a look at with the 17th pick in the 2022 NBA draft:
Tari Eason, Forward, LSU
Eason is a 6'8″ wing who just wrapped up a breakout sophomore season at Louisiana State. Eason more than doubled his scoring with 16.9 points per game in the 2021-22 season after averaging 7.3 as a freshman at Cincinnati.
The SEC 6th-Man of the Year was a interior force, averaging 6.6 boards and 1.2 blocks off the bench for the Tigers. He was a semifinals for the National Defensive Player of the Year award. The Rockets were the lowest-ranked team in the NBA in terms of defensive rating. Eason could change Houston's defensive identity from the get-go.
There has been issues with Easons tendency to get in foul trouble, which kept his minutes limited with LSU last season. The Rockets are log jammed at the four and five spots with Christian Wood, Alperen Sengun alongside raw prospect Usman Garuba. Regardless, Eason's defensive upside could prove to be too tempting for Houston to pass up on.
Ousmane Dieng, Forward, NZ Breakers (NBL)
Dieng comes in the midst of a wave of talented players coming into the NBA from international leagues. The stardom of former European pro Luka Doncic and early success from LaMelo Ball after a stint in the Australian NBL has NBA executives intrigued on prospects with experience in international leagues.
Having played with multiple professional teams internationally, Dieng could be one of the next breakout overseas players. The 6'9″ wing has excited length and athleticism that could make hima premier 1-5 defender. Dieng is 19 and has been playing professionally since 2018. He averaged 12 points across two seasons in Serbia and France.
Concerns about Dieng revolve around a down year, averaging 8.9 points in the NBL, a step-up in competition from his previous professional stints. He's raw, but has enough upside to earn some consideration from Houston at 17.
Jeremy Sochan, Forward, Baylor
Sochan will be a definite intrigue for the Rockets at 17 — the question is whether or not he'll be available. Some mocks have the Big 12 All-Freshman as high as 13, where others have Houston passing on the forward. If Sochan is undervalued by other franchises, Rafael Stone and company should jump on the 6'9″ prospect.
In one season at Baylor, Sochan held an 89.8 defensive rating, ranking fourth in-conference. He also held the sixth-best defensive plus minus. He was also fairly efficient on offense with 8.8 points on 58.5 2P%. If Sochan can develop a perimeter shot, he could be a lethal two-way threat alongside Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr.
It's clear the Rockets have a plethora of options ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft. As Houston enters year three of its rebuild, the 17th pick could be the first step in building the pieces to go around the young nucleus.
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