2023 NBA Draft – what should the Rockets do with their 4th pick?

On the night of June 23, the 2023 NBA Draft will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where each of the Great League franchises will try to improve their roster by selecting the right prospects. To better prepare you for this event, which is always eagerly awaited, we thought it useful to focus in particular on the ten teams that will choose in the Top 10, from Dallas to San Antonio. It’s time to tackle pick #4 from the young Rockets. What are their options for this Draft?

Option #1: talent drafter, ok but who?

It is clear that when we end up with a #4 pick, we will not start looking at the needs of the workforce, a priori. The objective is clear: to take the best prospect still available this famous evening of June 22. Now, when looking at the beautiful babies predicted in this part of the chart, we can expect to see either du Cam Whitmore or Amen Thompson. It would be surprising to see anything else knowing that Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller are at high risk of leaving in the top three places. Recently Whitmore moved up in the Draft projections, where Amen was in the top 4 for a long time. To see what Houston thinks of these two very different profiles, but the risk of seeing another choice seems almost impossible with this pick.

Option #2: fit drafter, why not see the dilemma

If indeed Cam and Amen are more or less equivalent in terms of talent, we could almost take a look at the Rockets’ workforce to choose the next nugget of Ime Udoka. When we look at the profile of Amen Thomson, supra-athletic playmaker back who lacks shooting, we say to ourselves that it may not be ideal for Houston who is looking for people in the wings. This is where Cam Whitmore comes in with his athleticism as a winger and his ability to finish near the circle. It seems clear for Cam to find a role in this rotation, but to favor him over Amen would potentially be to deprive himself of the latter’s defense and playmaking.

Option #3: Make a trade to move up to the Draft

When you are already positioned in 4, difficult to climb higher but there are still places to go. Can Houston hope to nab the #1 pick? No. Can they try to scratch a #2 pick? Here too it seems very complicated when you know how much the first two picks of this Draft have market value (and most certainly sporting), but if there is a league in which you should never say never… c is the NBA. In any case if pick #2 is recovered to get Scoot, it is clear that the debate between Amen and Cam will quickly go to waste.