Vegas bettors predict Rockets will select SEC guard with lottery pick

The Houston Rockets’ number three pick is available to anyone who wants it.

(If anyone wants it).

The Rockets want a top player and would certainly like to retain their young talent, which they have plenty of. Sure, they’d like to make the playoffs, but they also won’t achieve that goal if it forces them to weaken their roster in their quest for a must-play player.

The third pick in this year’s draft could hold the key, in theory. However, a team would have to really like this year’s draft class to make a deal for the pick.

And this year’s draft class isn’t as loaded as previous classes. In fact, either of the Rockets’ first-round picks from last season could probably go first overall this year.

In other words, the Rockets may have to keep their pick.

The Rockets could absolutely shake up the draft when they are on the board, as draft prognosticators have had a difficult time determining which direction the franchise will want to take. For the longest time, the Rockets were routinely picked in mocks to select Connecticut big man Donovan Clingan.

However, Vegas bettors aren’t betting on Clingan for Houston, as the latest odds from BetOnline have the Rockets selecting Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard at +210. Clingan comes in second at +375, followed by his university teammate Stephon Castle at +550, and finally Serbian leader Nikola Topic at +600.

Sheppard would partially fill the Rockets’ shooting gaps, as he made over 52 percent of his 3-point shots. The Kentucky guard has drawn professional comparisons to Kirk Hinrich, who played 13 years in the league, in addition to New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo.

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