The Houston Rockets are determined not to finish the 2023-24 season at the bottom of the league for the fourth consecutive year.
Owner Tilman Fertitta and general manager Rafael Stone have expressed that the Rockets have moved forward with phase II of their rebuilding project, which led to the decision to replace former coach Stephen Silas with Ime Udoka in April.
The Rockets feel they have the right coach to help elevate the franchise out of basketball purgatory. But the most important job will be the re-tooling of Houston's roster.
The Rockets have two first-round picks entering the 2023 NBA Draft. And whether they trade the picks for an established star or acquire promising prospects, the draft will play a significant role in the enhancements the Rockets can make to their roster.
The results of the NBA Draft lottery will reveal whether or not Houston will strike gold with the No. 1 overall pick. And due to the trade deadline deal that sent Eric Gordon to the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston will have the No. 20th selection.
MAY 12 ROCKETS HOLD PRE-DRAFT WORKOUT WITH MARKQUIS NOWELL
Kansas State guard Markquis Nowell was one of several prospects the Rockets held a pre-draft meeting for ahead of the Draft Combine in Chicago. Nowell led the Kansas State Wildcats to a 26-10 record while averaging 17.6 points and 8.3 assists during his senior season.
MAY 11 ROCKETS GET AN EARLY START WITH PRE-DRAFT WORKOUTS
The Rockets have held several pre-draft workouts ahead of the NBA Draft Combine, which will begin on May 15 in Chicago.
According to USA Today, the Rockets have met with prospects Kendric Davis (Memphis guard), Jaylen Forbes (Tulane), Alex Fudge (Florida), Omari Moore (San Jose State), Markquis Nowell (Kansas State) and Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky).
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