With the No. 3 pick in the 2022 first round, the Houston Rockets are widely expected to draft whichever of the consensus top-three prospects — Auburn’s Jabari Smith, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, and Duke’s Paolo Banchero — is still on the board. All are frontcourt players.
Yet, it remains unclear which of the three will actually be available to Rockets general manager Rafael Stone. There’s also a remote scenario where Oklahoma City selects Jaden Ivey at pick No. 2, which could leave Houston with a choice between two of those three frontcourt options.
Assuming the Rockets keep the pick, the chosen player will immediately join Jalen Green as the foundational pieces of Houston’s rebuild.
