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2022 NBA mock draft roundup: Potential Houston Rockets picks entering March Madness

Best known as “March Madness,” the annual NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Tournament (bracket) begins on Thursday, March 17. For fans of losing NBA teams, like the 2021-22 Houston Rockets, there is understandably significant intrigue over the next three weeks.

From an NBA perspective, how prospects perform under the bright lights and versus elite competition are among the key variables when it comes to projecting their likely upside at the highest level. Thus, for teams with major draft assets, March Madness is a crucial evaluation period.

In 2022, one of those teams with major stakes in the upcoming NBA draft is clearly the Houston Rockets. Not only do the Rockets (17-51) hold the league’s worst record entering Wednesday’s games, but they also have a second first-round pick headed their way from Brooklyn — and it could be better than expected, since the Nets (36-33) have struggled for much of this season with injuries and absences.

It’s possible that Brooklyn’s pick could even end up in the lottery, since the Nets are currently in a spot where they have to make it through the Eastern Conference’s play-in tournament just to make the playoffs.

Prior to the start of March Madness, here’s a look at who the latest wave of NBA mock drafts projects the Rockets to select with those two picks (Houston and Brooklyn). When the tournament concludes in early April, we’ll do another roundup for comparison purposes.

Draft lottery odds, if Rockets finish with worst record

No. 1: 14.0%
No. 2: 13.4%
No. 3: 12.7%
No. 4: 12.0%
No. 5: 47.9%

(pick odds via Tankathon)

Draft lottery odds, if Nets have best record among non-playoff teams

No. 1: 0.5%
No. 2: 0.6%
No. 3: 0.6%
No. 4: 0.7%
No. 14: 97.6%

(pick odds via Tankathon)

Projections for Houston’s own 2022 first-round pick

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Sam Vecenie , The Athletic (3/16), No. 1 overall: Chet Holmgren
(Gonzaga: Big, Freshman, 7-1)

Kevin O’Connor, The Ringer big board (3/16), No. 1: Chet Holmgren
(Gonzaga: Big, Freshman, 7-1)

Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report (3/16), No. 1: Jabari Smith
(Auburn: Big, Freshman, 6-10)

Kyle Boone, CBS Sports (3/15), No. 2: Jabari Smith
(Auburn: Big, Freshman, 6-10)

Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz, ESPN (3/15), No. 3: Paolo Banchero
(Duke: Big, Freshman, 6-10)

Projections for Houston’s 2022 first-round pick via Brooklyn

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Kevin O’Connor, The Ringer big board (3/16), No. 16: Blake Wesley
(Notre Dame: Guard, Freshman, 6-5)

Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report (3/16), No. 16: Kennedy Chandler
(Tennessee: Guard, Freshman, 6-1)

Kyle Boone, CBS Sports (3/15), No. 16: MarJon Beauchamp
(Ignite: Wing, G League, 6-7)

Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz, ESPN (3/15), No. 15: Kendall Brown
(Baylor: Wing, Freshman, 6-8)

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Story originally appeared on Rockets Wire