Houston Chronicle

When the Rockets emerged from Tuesday’s NBA Draft lottery with the third pick in the June 23 draft, there was as much a sense of relief as happiness. The Rockets were not ready to decide the player they would select and even if they had, there was no chance that general manager Rafael Stone would show his hand. But there were ample and understood reasons to be pleased, especially given that it was more likely that they would fall to the fourth or fifth pick than pick in the top three for a second consecutive season. Actually, there were three reasons: Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero.