Guards Projected to Houston Rockets in 2026 NBA Draft First Round

Guards Projected to Houston Rockets in 2026 NBA Draft First Round

The Houston Rockets' 2025-26 regular season officially came to a close after the first round exit against the Los Angeles Lakers in the six game series, cementing a humbling finish for head coach Ime Udoka amid a season filled with promise. With the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery officially wrapped up along with the Rockets’ draft position officially finalized, the attention has steadily shifted toward the offseason plan to build on the 52-win season ahead of several players expected to hit free agency as either restricted or unrestricted. Yet a pair of outlets project Houston to upgrade its backcourt with the 22nd overall pick in next month’s draft.

CBS Sports projected former Duke guard Isaiah Evans, who pointed to his catch-and-shoot ability during his two seasons as a Blue Devil. After stepping into a rotational role and shooting over 41% from three as a freshman, Evans became a focal point of Duke’s offense in 2025-26 after averaging 15 points on 43.3% shooting from the field and 36.1% from three. CBS Sports ranked him as the third-best shooting guard prospect behind Cameron Carr out of Baylor and Brayden Burries out of Arizona, though the widely expected first round pick would add shooting to a team that produced just two who shot better than 35% from deep in 2025-26.

USA Today, meanwhile, projected former Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie as the Rockets’ pick with another direction to infuse scoring into the backcourt.