After landing at No. 4 overall following the 2023 NBA draft lottery, there haven’t been many rumors of the Houston Rockets potentially looking to trade up into a higher first-round position.
There could be a good reason for that. According to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, who recently appeared on the HoopsHype Podcast with Michael Scotto, Houston doesn’t see much of a gap between Amen Thompson — projected by most to go fourth — and Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson, who are widely forecast at second and third.
The name you hear most frequently is Amen Thompson. I’ve heard they believe that the gap between Amen and Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller is actually not as large as people might assume it’s going to be. They think it’s quite minimal because when you look at Amen in a vacuum as a 6-foot-7 athlete who can jump out of the gym as an aggressive defender and a quality playmaker, with the ability to mesh with Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr.
The shooting concerns are real, but looking at it from a prospect standpoint alone, there’s a reason why you hear his name the most frequently. You still have to consider his brother, Ausar, and Whitmore, because of how talented they are as individual prospects. But I’m comfortable saying they have Amen Thompson in a class above the rest of the guys you’d consider in that next tier of draft prospects.
While some analysts around the league have referred to it as a three-player draft — in terms of there being a steep decline in pick value after the top three of Henderson, Miller, and presumed top pick Victor Wembanyama — it appears the Rockets don’t see it that way.
If that’s the case, don’t expect them to pay the type of premium to trade up that other teams with a different view might be willing to.
