Houston Rockets: 5 options for pick No. 45 in 2017 NBA Draft

4. Arnoldas Kulboka, SF, Lithuania

Arnoldas Kulboka is a 19-year-old small forward from Lithuania who is known for his shooting ability.

At 6’9″, Kulboka would be an attractive player to Houston for a number of reasons. The first is that he likely won’t come to the NBA right away, meaning that the Rockets can maximize the cap space they have this summer or next, in order to acquire a player to push them over the top.

The second reason is that Kulboka is already known as a good shooter. He can hit shots coming off screens, off one dribble, off two dribbles, and he can even knock down the spot-up jumper. He can do it all.

At his size, he can also run the pick-and-roll as the ball-handler, thus forcing taller players into the unenviable position of fighting through screens.

He will certainly struggle on defense as he doesn’t yet have enough muscle to bang with players down low. He will most definitely get pushed around down there a la Ryan Anderson.

He also doesn’t possess enough lateral quickness to stay with guards on the perimeter. That makes it difficult for him to fit in anywhere on the defensive end of the court.

The biggest reason he would be a great fit with the Rockets is because of his height and shooting ability. Not many teenagers his height can shoot the ball the way he does. If he is able to further develop his game and add muscle, he may be able to alleviate some of the weaknesses.

Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress gives his outlook on Kulboka:

"“Kulboka has significant talent and long-term upside at his disposal with his combination of size, athleticism and outside shooting prowess. When he’s rolling and making shots, he shows you some flashes of passing, activity defensively, but is very reactive to the way the game is unfolding. Frame will need to fill out significantly to play a real role in the NBA, especially defensively, something that will likely take at least a few years.”"