NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Wolves trade down, Warriors surprise?

NBA Mock Draft: Houston Rockets take Cade Cunningham at #1

The Houston Rockets are awful. They had a 20-game losing streak earlier in the season. For them to be able to keep their pick would be a win in itself, but having the privilege to draft the best draft prospect since Anthony Davis would be a new level of winning.

Look, when this team acquired John Wall, I don’t think they envisioned him being their franchise player, particularly following the James Harden trade. With Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood as the two cornerstones of a solid young core, Cunningham would be a very nice primary ball-hander, facilitator, and perimeter scorer as well as being a great defensively versatile piece.

As a young player (with John Wall still under contract for two more seasons), Cunningham likely starts at the three, alongside Wall/Porter/Tate/Wood. I would, however, like to see him transition to point guard as his career progresses.

Cunningham is one of the best draft prospects in a long-time, and in a modern NBA where versatility is everything, he does not have any major holes in his game. He’s a 3-level-scorer, underrated passer, and drastically improved upon his perimeter game at Oklahoma State this past year.

The Houston Rockets have not prioritized draft picks over the course of, well… ever? It seems as though the Daryl Morey era Rockets were imfamous for moving their pick at the trade deadline, and the last first-round pick I remember the Rockets making was Sam Dekker. That changed this year, will a full rebuild ahead. Rafael Stone is hoping the Nets are unable to retain Durant/Irving/Harden past the end of their contract(s).