Houston Rockets 2025 NBA Mock Draft Roundup 1.0
Leading up to the 2025 NBA Draft, our Houston Rockets Mock Draft Roundup will highlight recent picks for the Houston Rockets from several prominent sites and draft analysts.
The following are picks in recent mock drafts for the Rockets:
12. Thomas Sorber, Georgetown
Georgetown freshman big Thomas Sorber is another analytics darling. He ranks second among all freshmen in the catch-all metrics Wins Above Replacement Player, RAPM, and Defensive Win Shares, per CBB Analytics. He is integral to the success of his team. Georgetown has outscored opponents by 26.5 points per 40 minutes with Sober on the court but are outscored by 22.0 points per 40 when he is off, which is one the largest differences among all NCAA players.
13. Khaman Maluach, Duke
The Rockets have arguably more young pieces than any franchise in the league, with essentially all five positions covered. While Maluach is admittedly still a project, particularly on the offensive end, he'd provide a complement to Alperen Sengun as a backup with size and length who can rim run, block shots, and move reasonably well laterally.
Bleacher Report — Jonathan Wasserman
12. Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina
Collin Murray-Boyles' consistent production from last year to this one should earn him a pass for his uncharacteristically poor showings on Jan. 4 (five points) and Jan. 8 (six points).
He bounced back quickly to drop 26 points on the nation's current No. 1 team. It was a showcase of Murray-Boyles' ability to carve out space and use strength or face up and attack bigs with his handle and body control.
There will still be a divide among scouts between optimists who buy the physicality, scoring instincts, passing flashes and efficiency, and skeptics who aren't loving a 6'7" post player with limited shooting skill. Murray-Boyles should have a case to succeed out of the box with how he uses his 245-pound frame, skill in traffic and footwork at both ends.
He bounced back quickly to drop 26 points on the nation's current No. 1 team. It was a showcase of Murray-Boyles' ability to carve out space and use strength or face up and attack bigs with his handle and body control.
There will still be a divide among scouts between optimists who buy the physicality, scoring instincts, passing flashes and efficiency, and skeptics who aren't loving a 6'7" post player with limited shooting skill. Murray-Boyles should have a case to succeed out of the box with how he uses his 245-pound frame, skill in traffic and footwork at both ends.
12. Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
Fears is arguably the most interesting player in this draft class outside of Flagg, Harper and Bailey. On the one hand, he's carried Oklahoma to a terrific, unexpected start to the season at 13-1 with wins over Michigan and Arizona. He's averaging 17.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists with an above-average true shooting percentage. On the other hand, Oklahoma's advanced metrics all give pretty serious cause for concern, and Fears' underlying metrics also are quite messy.
First, the good stuff. He's 6-4 or so with a great first step, great last-step acceleration and a real ability to change pace. Fears gets to the rim at an exceedingly high level and creates a significant number of shots for himself there. Fears is also quite skinny, and his half-court finishing numbers are nowhere near where his overall finishing numbers are. He's made only 48.8 percent of his shots at the rim in half-court settings, per Synergy. His pull-up jumper and floater from the midrange have been quite effective so far, as he's made those shots both at over 50 percent. But he's making under 30 percent of 3s, and that's not even the biggest red flag. Fears has turned the ball over 3.6 times per game for a turnover rate of 22 percent. While Fears has played well against teams like Michigan and Arizona, his overall stats are likely a bit inflated by the fact that Oklahoma's nonconference strength of schedule is ranked 332nd in the country, per KenPom.
So what does all of this mean? Scouts are highly intrigued by Fears and are enthusiastic to watch him in SEC play. Already, we got some interesting tape against Alabama, when Fears got to the rim but also shot 5 of 15 and turned it over three times. Essentially, Fears is this season's wait-and-see guy. He might end up being much higher than this on draft night if he continues to prove that he can get to the rim at will and starts making them more consistently there. He also might end up being a guy who is better off returning to college if teams in the SEC can adjust to him and figure out ways to slow him down. It's worth noting he is a late reclassification from the recruiting class of 2025, which means he is extremely young compared to the rest of the class. There's a lot of time for him to work on his weaknesses and become a serious NBA prospect in the Monta Ellis-style mold.
First, the good stuff. He's 6-4 or so with a great first step, great last-step acceleration and a real ability to change pace. Fears gets to the rim at an exceedingly high level and creates a significant number of shots for himself there. Fears is also quite skinny, and his half-court finishing numbers are nowhere near where his overall finishing numbers are. He's made only 48.8 percent of his shots at the rim in half-court settings, per Synergy. His pull-up jumper and floater from the midrange have been quite effective so far, as he's made those shots both at over 50 percent. But he's making under 30 percent of 3s, and that's not even the biggest red flag. Fears has turned the ball over 3.6 times per game for a turnover rate of 22 percent. While Fears has played well against teams like Michigan and Arizona, his overall stats are likely a bit inflated by the fact that Oklahoma's nonconference strength of schedule is ranked 332nd in the country, per KenPom.
So what does all of this mean? Scouts are highly intrigued by Fears and are enthusiastic to watch him in SEC play. Already, we got some interesting tape against Alabama, when Fears got to the rim but also shot 5 of 15 and turned it over three times. Essentially, Fears is this season's wait-and-see guy. He might end up being much higher than this on draft night if he continues to prove that he can get to the rim at will and starts making them more consistently there. He also might end up being a guy who is better off returning to college if teams in the SEC can adjust to him and figure out ways to slow him down. It's worth noting he is a late reclassification from the recruiting class of 2025, which means he is extremely young compared to the rest of the class. There's a lot of time for him to work on his weaknesses and become a serious NBA prospect in the Monta Ellis-style mold.
9. Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
Houston could land a top-10 pick unexpectedly if the Suns' struggles in the loaded Western Conference continue. Still, it's unknown what the Rockets' appetite will be for adding more young players after drafting (and retaining) seven players in the first round over the past four years.
Fears has been one of college basketball's best freshmen and has firmly entrenched himself in top-10 conversations thanks to his impressive combination of speed, pace, playmaking creativity, pull-up shooting, confidence and scoring instincts. The 18-year-old has a lot of room to grow.
He is spearheading an Oklahoma team that has exceeded expectations but will be tested over the next few months by a challenging SEC schedule that will tell us quite a bit more about where he stands in the draft's pecking order. -- Givony
Fears has been one of college basketball's best freshmen and has firmly entrenched himself in top-10 conversations thanks to his impressive combination of speed, pace, playmaking creativity, pull-up shooting, confidence and scoring instincts. The 18-year-old has a lot of room to grow.
He is spearheading an Oklahoma team that has exceeded expectations but will be tested over the next few months by a challenging SEC schedule that will tell us quite a bit more about where he stands in the draft's pecking order. -- Givony
9. Nolan Traore, Saint-Quentin (France)
Playing in LNB Elite and the Basketball Champions League, the 6-3 guard has a two-way skill set. Offensively, his first step is as special as any in the NBA and he operates well in ball screens with a great knack for finding the right angle and scoring. The perimeter game is a work in progress, but his willingness to defend on tape looks good. Traore's stock could continue to rise in this class, especially with his international pro background.