The Houston Rockets were lucky to pick the pick, considering that Alexander Sarr has a high chance of being selected as the No. 1 pick, unless the Rockets seek to promote the first-round pick, their self-selected rookie goals are actually only a few people, of course, before the draft begins, the Rockets need to take the time to investigate and make their own decisions.
The local media also gave the Rockets a specific ranking of potential draft picks, with Nikola Topic surprisingly at the bottom, ahead of Matas Bouzerys, Donovan Klingen, Stephen Castle and Zaire Risache, while Kentucky two-way guard Reed Shepherd topped the list.
Perhaps most people would not have imagined that Nikola Topic, who is the favorite in the draft, is so underestimated. But on the one hand, judging from his position and style on the court, the Rockets didn't need it that much, and Nikola Topic's outside projection was just too poor. The Rockets already have Amen Thompson, and Nikola Topic stands with him like looking in the mirror, this problem cannot be ignored, not that Nikola Topic is really that bad, but he may not have played much role in joining the Rockets, and even has a knee injury. Matas Bouzerys, who is a bit better than teammate Ron Holland, has a high probability of being selected with the top 10 pick. But Matas Bouzeris' projection is also average, and fortunately he will be worth a little more as a striker.
Among the players in the 2-4 range, Zaire Risache is unique, he is very versatile, especially in 17 games in the Champions League, Zaire Risache has shot 56.1% from three-point range, which is obviously a surprising statistic. And Zaire Risache can help the team whether it is playmaking passing, ball quotient or defensive ability, and the reason why Zaire Risache is only second is more because the Washington Wizards, who hold the pick, are unlikely to let Zaire Risache go and give him to the Rockets behind him.
So Reed Shepard became the first choice, after all, since the end of the NCAA tournament, Reed Shepard name has been associated with the Rockets. He has excellent outside shooting, is a two-way guard who is extremely good at playmaking and individual offense, and has a top ball quotient, and is indeed a rookie that the Rockets need. Of course, if according to the original prediction, the Rockets can only use the No. 9 pick to select Reed Shepherd, which is certainly no problem, but it seems to be a bit controversial to choose Reed Shepherd with the No. 9 pick.