Bleacher Report ranks key Rockets among NBA’s top under-22 players

Bleacher Report’s latest ranking of the NBA’s best under-22 prospects includes both Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. in the top six. #Rockets

The Houston Rockets and their fans have increasingly touted the value of their young core of prospects selected in the first round of recent NBA drafts, and many around the league are taking notice.

In a new ranking by Dan Favale and Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, the Rockets are well represented in a “22 under 22” ranking of the best NBA prospects under the age of 22 years old.

Here’s a look at the criteria, via Bleacher Report:

Settling on this ranking requires some loose criteria. First and foremost, players must be in their age-21-or-younger season to meet the under-22 inclusion bar. This means anyone who is already 22 or will be 22 before Jan. 31 does not appear here.

Performances from this season have shaped our initial impressions and carry tons of weight. But this is not a batch of in-the-moment rankings.

Instead, view our pecking order through the lens of “Who should you want on your team for the rest of their career?”

Here’s where members of Houston’s young core stood on that list, which can be viewed in its entirety at Bleacher Report. (Not surprisingly, spoiler, No. 1 is San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama.)