A pair of outlets projected the Houston Rockets to draft a guard in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft
The Houston Rockets' 2025-26 regular season officially came to a close after the first round exit against the Los Angeles Lakers in the six game series, cementing a humbling finish for head coach Ime Udoka amid a season filled with promise. With the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery officially wrapped up along with the Rockets’ draft position officially finalized, the attention has steadily shifted toward the offseason plan to build on the 52-win season ahead of several players expected to hit free agency as either restricted or unrestricted. Yet a pair of outlets project Houston to upgrade its backcourt with the 22nd overall pick in next month’s draft.
CBS Sports projected former Duke guard Isaiah Evans, who pointed to his catch-and-shoot ability during his two seasons as a Blue Devil. After stepping into a rotational role and shooting over 41% from three as a freshman, Evans became a focal point of Duke’s offense in 2025-26 after averaging 15 points on 43.3% shooting from the field and 36.1% from three. CBS Sports ranked him as the third-best shooting guard prospect behind Cameron Carr out of Baylor and Brayden Burries out of Arizona, though the widely expected first round pick would add shooting to a team that produced just two who shot better than 35% from deep in 2025-26.
USA Today, meanwhile, projected former Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie as the Rockets’ pick with another direction to infuse scoring into the backcourt.
In his lone season at Stanford, Okorie broke out as one of the most dynamic scoring guards in the country with his 23.2 points per game ranked eighth in the country. The 6-foot-2 guard added 3.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 46.5% from the floor, including 35.4% from three. Yet the efficient, multi-level scorer could pair with Amen Thompson to upgrade the backcourt with Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant back as anchors in the starting rotation.
The question for Okorie is whether he ultimately sticks in the NBA Draft process after previously noting he would only withdraw to return to Stanford for a second season instead of hitting the transfer portal.
Whether the backcourt materializes into the direction the Rockets' front office opts to go will be worth tracking while Houston looks to make decisions on the four unrestricted free agents set to hit the open market this offseason along with the looming extension possibility for Amen Thompson. With the draft combine this week and six weeks until the first round begins, it won't be much longer until Houston begins answering some of those pivotal questions.