Mock Draft: Rockets Select Son of NBA Legend in Second Round

The Houston Rockets are wild cards in this year’s NBA Draft. It’s unknown just what they will do.

Furthermore, the Rockets are wild cards this offseason, across the league. They could choose to go in a number of different directions – each of which would affect their draft capital, in one way or another.

If the Rockets choose to trade for a star, like many expect, their draft picks will be involved. We’ve heard names like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell and Joel Embiid. Any deal for any of those players will certainly involve some of Houston’s draft capital.

Even a bargain deal, like last summer’s trade for Kevin Durant, will require Houston to give up a semblance of their picks. The Rockets’ front office shelled out five second-round picks and a lottery pick to acquire Durant (along with Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks – who were both needed from a salary ballast standpoint).

As of now, the team doesn’t have a lottery pick (or a first round pick at all, for that matter). But that could easily change, if the team’s decision makers want it to. The team has ample lottery picks throughout the next several years.

Valuable ones, too, that will be coveted. In other words, if the Rockets decide to trade up into the lottery, it would be fairly easy for them to do so.

Houston does have two second-round draft picks – the 39th pick and 53rd pick. It’s unknown whether they will hang on to those picks. And they’ve still got time to decide, as the draft is over a month away (the draft is June 23rd and 24th).

ESPN’s latest mock draft has the Rockets drafting Illinois Fighting Illini wing Andrej Stojakovic with the 53rd pick, which would be an interesting pick, to say the least. Stojakovic is the son of long-time standout sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic.

However, he didn’t exactly pick up his father’s outside shooting proficiency. He’s a career 30.2 percent outside shooter. Last season, he made just 24.4 percent of his triples.

Instead, the younger Stojakovic is an athletic marvel, posting a 41.5 inch vertical during this week’s scouting combine. He also thrived as a slasher last season for the Fighting Illini.

He’s great at getting downhill and has a lethal mid-range shooting game. In addition, he’s an underrated defender and is fairly good on the glass.

It’s unknown whether or not Stojakovic will remain in this year’s draft class, as he’s already teased a return to the collegiate ranks. If he does fall that low in the draft and the Rockets select him, he’d be an intriguing prospect, although he’d be a bit of a project.

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