With the 2018 NBA Draft coming up June 21, let’s take a look back at how the Houston Rockets have fared with their draft selections in recent years.
The Houston Rockets are a franchise known for making the right choices at the top of the draft throughout its history. The obvious name that comes to mind is Hakeem Olajuwon, who was selected first overall in the 1984 NBA Draft and went on to become a Hall-of-Famer and one of the greatest NBA big men of all time.
The team has also struck gold at the top of the draft in the form of Yao Ming, Rudy Tomjanovich, Elvin Hayes and Ralph Sampson. All of these players went on to have long and illustrious careers in Houston, with some of them having their numbers retired in the rafters of the Toyota Center never to be worn by another member of the Rockets again.
Houston will have one selection in the 2018 NBA Draft in the second round, 46th overall, so they likely won’t be able to add a franchise-altering superstar. However, they could add an important piece to a team that is already on the verge of championship contention.
Because of the team’s consistent success in terms of reaching the playoffs the past six years, its draft picks have been toward the bottom of the draft. Let’s take a look back at some previous Rockets selections and see how they have panned out so far.