Draft day chaos could deliver elite spacers like Henri Veesaar or versatile playmakers like Joshua Jefferson into Houston's hands if these high-upside prospects slide into the second round.
As we’re now just one day away from the 2026 NBA Draft, we’ll see 30 players come off the board soon enough. Most of them will be no surprise, but there’s often some shockers at this time of the year.
I’ll always remember Bol Bol projected to go in the lottery, then falling all the way to 44th overall. Or on the other end of the spectrum, the Phoenix Suns stunned everyone by drafting Cam Johnson 10th overall.
Some surprises of that same magnitude might have to happen for the Houston Rockets to get lucky this year. While it’s not likely, I still want to take a look at two potential draft day slides.
First on the list is the Tarheels’ standout stretch big, Henri Veesaar. After the 7-footer became a full time starter at North Carolina this season, he nearly averaged a double-double with 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
Most impressively, he shot over 60-percent from the field and a lights out 42.6-percent on a respectable number of attempts per game. He’ll need to improve on that 65-percent from the line though, as seen on Sports-Reference.
We’ve seen how well Alperen Şengün can play alongside another big man, but we haven’t really seen him with a stretch five.
Unfortunately that shooting potential is exactly why it’s unlikely he’ll drop all the way down to 39th. His stock has continued to fluctuate though, so I don’t see it as an impossibility.
The next name on the list is Joshua Jefferson from Iowa State. As a versatile 6’8” forward, he seems like a player that could fit in with any team. A true plug-and-play guy.
He had an average percentage from deep (34.5), but his main skill is arguably his playmaking. His 4.8 assists per game gave him the second highest average on the team, per ESPN.
When I watch him play, I see a lot of similarities to Jalen Johnson from the Atlanta Hawks. Although they’re the same height, I think Johnson’s vertical and wingspan helps him throw down some more impressive dunks.
Jefferson is very adept at navigating pick and rolls or DHO’s at the top of the key though, making plays for himself or others. Not to mention grabbing it off the board and leading a fastbreak.
Obviously a lot of forwards and centers are doing it now, with Alperen Şengün near the top of the list, plus Jokic and KAT winning championships that way. You could even argue Draymond Green started a lot of that with Steph, Klay, and eventually KD.
Point being, it’s a valuable skill to have in this league. It’s extremely valuable if you can snag someone with that skillset in the second round.
Unfortunately for the Rockets, I think other teams will see that value too. I’ll be a little shocked if Joshua Jefferson makes it to 39th pick, but he’d be a great selection if he were to be available.
