Houston Rockets: A look back at NBA Draft history before 2018

By Jason Elbaum | Jun 9, 2018

HOUSTON, TX - MAY 24: Head Coach Mike D'Antoni of the Houston Rockets reacts in the first half against the Golden State Warriors in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on May 24, 2018 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

With the Houston Rockets owning the 46th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, let’s take a look back at the team’s draft history and the history of the 46th pick.

The Houston Rockets fell just short of making it back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995, and do not possess a first round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft in June. However, they will have a pick in the middle of the second round that originally belonged to the Miami Heat, which they could use to help improve the team.

There are still many question marks about what kind of team the new rookie will be stepping into, with Chris Paul, Trevor Ariza and Clint Capela all hitting free agency this summer. There has also been plenty of speculation about the possibility of LeBron James coming to Houston, but that question will not be answered until after the draft.

Houston has drafted in the 46th position just once before throughout its franchise history. In 1993, the Rockets selected 6’10” forward Richard Petruska, who played for Inter Bratislava in Slovakia before coming to the United States to play his college ball at both Loyola Marymount and UCLA.

Being a second round pick, the expectations were not very high for the 25-year-old Petruska, and he never really found his footing in the NBA. He managed to play in just one season for the Rockets, averaging 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds per game in just 22 appearances for the team.

After his short-lived NBA career, Petruska went back to Europe where he played for six different teams in Italy, Turkey, and Spain. He also served as a coach for the Canarias Basketball Academy before his retirement.

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Looking back at the history of the 46th pick regardless of team, there are not very many names that jump off the page. The most notable in terms of win shares is guard Jeff Hornacek, who was an All-Star in 1992 as a member of the Phoenix Suns. He went on to play for the Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz before retiring.

Jerome Kersey was also drafted with the 46th pick by the Portland Trail Blazers, where he played for 11 seasons. He then bounced around from the Golden State Warriors to the Los Angeles Lakers to the Seattle SuperSonics before joining up with Tim Duncan and David Robinson on the 1998-99 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

Richard Petruska isn’t the only UCLA Bruin to be selected with the 46th pick in the NBA Draft. Matt Barnes went 46th to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002 and developed a reputation around the league as a scrappy defender with excellent athleticism. He was a member of the Warriors team that defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals.

A few other notable NBA contributors that have been selected at No. 46 are Danny Green (2009), Jordan Clarkson (2014), Norman Powell (2015), Voshon Lenard (1994) and Dee Brown (2006). None of these players are franchise-altering talents, but they were solid role players in the NBA.

Next: 5 biggest takeaways from the 2018 NBA Finals

After taking a look back at some of the history of the 46th pick, it’s clear that the Rockets could potentially add a piece that helps them get over the hump and back into the NBA Finals. They’ll still have some difficult decisions to make in free agency, but making a good selection in the draft would be a great start to the offseason.

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