In what will be one of the most important dates on the 2023 calendar for the Houston Rockets, the NBA holds its annual draft lottery on Tuesday night from the league’s draft combine in Chicago. The event finalizes the first-round pick order for the June 22 draft.
After finishing with the league’s second-worst record (22-60) in the 2022-23 regular season, the Rockets have the maximum odds for a top selection. However, those odds are not as strong as they used to be, thanks to the NBA’s revised lottery weighting percentages, which are aimed at reducing tanking schemes for higher draft picks.
The lottery determines the top-four picks among the NBA’s 14 non-playoff teams, with the rest slotted by record. Even if it doesn’t win one of the top four picks, Houston cannot fall below No. 6 overall, since it can be no worse than second-worst among the other 10 teams.
So, will the Rockets land a pick that puts them in position to draft an elite prospect such as France’s Victor Wembanyama or Alabama’s Brandon Miller? Read on for details of what to watch for, along with timing considerations and other relevant information.