How close will the Houston Rockets be to completing their young core of the future after the 2023 NBA Draft?

The Rockets ended last season with a record of 22-60, putting them in fourth place in the Southwest Division and 14th in the Western Conference. They ended the NBA Draft lottery with the fourth selection in the 2023 NBA Draft, giving them another opportunity to add another high-level prospect to its roster.

Houston selected Auburn forward Jabari Smith with the No. 3 overall selection in the 2022 draft. Smith ended the year with averages of 12.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game last season. He earned a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team along with Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, Pistons guard Jaden Ivey, San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan and Houston forward Tari Eason.

Smith, guard Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. highlight the players under contract for the Rockets next season. Forward Kenyon Martin Jr. is listed with a team option for Houston, according to Spotrac. Guard Daishen Nix will be on a non-guaranteed deal that will become guaranteed on June 29.

What are some last-minute predictions for the Rockets before the start of the upcoming NBA Draft?

The Rockets will select Olivier-Maxence Prosper in the 2023 NBA Draft

The Rockets will need more reliable defenders to start a new era of Houston basketball under head coach Ime Udoka.

The Rockets finished last season with a defensive rating, or “the number of points allowed per 100 possessions by a team,” of 118.6, according to NBA.com. They would take spots behind the Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers at 29th place in the league.

Prosper wouldn't end all of Houston's woes on defense. But he could make his mark on that side of the floor for the Rockets if he fell to them at No. 20.

Related Houston Rockets NewsArticle continues below
boston celtics, boston celtics trade, celtics trade proposal
3 early Boston Celtics trade targets in 2025 NBA offseason
The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
Ranking 3 best Fred VanVleet free-agency destinations if he leaves Rockets

The 6-foot-8-inch forward out of Marquette ended his final season with the Golden Eagles with averages of 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game in 36 games and starts during the 2022-23 season. He played in 90 games and started in 63 with Marquette and the Clemson Tigers. The native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada said he wanted to show he could bring a spark to a team when he worked out for the Indiana Pacers earlier this week.

“The biggest thing I'm trying to show them is I'm a guy that can come and bring a spark to a team, especially defensively,” Prosper said when asked what he is trying to show teams during the pre-draft process, via the Indiana Pacers. “A guy that can come in, guard multiple positions. A guy that's going to lift the energy on the floor up. On offense, a guy that can stretch the floor, knock down open shots, cut, finish, knock down open shots, play in transition. All different things.

“I want to show teams I can be a reliable two-way player.”

He took pride in his ability to play in transition and push the ball during a May interview with USA Today's The Rookie Wire.

“On the offensive end, they're going to see somebody that is electric,” Prosper said, via The Rookie Wire. “I love to run. I love to push the ball. I love to play in transition and get up and dunk and catch alley-oops. I can also stretch the floor and shoot catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. The biggest thing is a lot more spacing in the NBA, which is going to be to my favor.

“I'm not going to be the primary ball handler. I'm going to play off the ball and play out of closeouts when I get the ball. With all the space, I'll be able to attack driving lanes and get to the rim and use my length and quickness and size and athleticism and get fouled a lot. I'm really good at getting fouled. I was drawing a lot of fouls this year in college. They call those even more in the NBA. If someone wants to close out short, I'm going to shoot it and knock it down.”

Whether the Rockets take a guard like Overtime Elite guard Amen Thompson or Villanova forward Cam Whitmore with the No. 4 pick, having a player like Prosper on the bench to play at the three or the four would help Houston take another small step forward in bringing in reliable defenders for the future. He will need to improve his 3-point shooting to become a more reliable option for Houston, but his defense and energy alone could make him a fantastic fit behind some of the team's younger options.