3. Houston Rockets – Chet Holmgren
With Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith Jr. off of the board, the Houston Rockets are left with the consensus best player available in Chet Holmgren. They might be scared off by his uniquely slight frame and enticed by Jaden Ivey’s combination of bankable skills and elite athleticism, but passing up on Chet here would be a huge mistake.
For one, his injury concern is a red herring. In the past, there have been several top prospects who never lived up to their potential, because they couldn’t stay healthy and available.
Most of those players, like Greg Oden and Zion Williamson (so far), were too heavy for their frames, not too lightweight. Holmgren has a non-existent injury history thus far, and there’s no reason to expect that that won’t continue in the NBA.
Holmgren showed to be a perfect complementary offensive player with the Gonzaga Bulldogs and flashed the potential to be much more. Once he bulks up enough to play center full-time, his blend of ballhandling and agility will make him a nightmare mismatch for opposing big men.
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On defense, he should be a transformative defender, providing help with timing and length in the driving lanes and deterring shots away at the rim from the weakside. His two-way prowess makes him a perfect fit alongside Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun.
Even if the Rockets elect to hold onto Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood, both of those players figure to benefit from playing alongside an elite two-way prospect like Holmgren.
