What will the Rockets do with the second pick?

Photo courtesy of FIBA

After months of speculation and worry, the Houston Rockets' impromptu tanking session was rewarded on Tuesday night. The ping pong balls determined that Houston would pick second overall in the upcoming 2021 NBA Draft. Not the most miraclulous of outcomes, considering the team's league-worst record, but far better than potential alternatives.

It feels difficult to miss in a top-heavy class such as 2021's. But, there are still a slew of conversations GM Rafael Stone needs to have. Stone has shown a level head, and has made good decisions even when faced with seemingly impossible odds (see: James Harden trade), but now he has some leeway to work with. His decision on draft night could easily accelerate the Rockets' rebuild.

With that in mind, here are a few options Stone could consider with the second overall pick.

Draft Jalen Green

Cade Cunningham is the clear number one overall pick. Behind him, however, are two very intriguing options for the Rockets to explore.

Jalen Green is one of them. A 6'6" guard, Green is an elite athlete with the ability to score at all three levels. Drawing draft comps to Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine, Green felt like a potential number one overall pick in any other draft.

His stats show early promise. Spending last year in the NBA's G League -- rather than college -- Green flourished. In 15 G League games, Green averaged 17.9 PPG/4.1 RPG/2.8 APG, on an average of 32 minutes per contest. In his one playoff game, Green dropped 30 points (on 55% shooting), seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals.

The clips show why scouts and teams are so high on Green's potential. He can finish with both hands. He has elite hang-time. Not only can he score, but he can create for others. Given time, and a bit of filling out, Green's ceiling could have him as a top-ten scorer in the game.

If Houston selected Green, the idea would be to pair him with fellow budding guard Kevin Porter Jr., and let the two feed off each other. Like a John Wall/Bradley Beal or Damian Lillard/C.J. McCollum type of deal. KPJ could be the playmaking point guard, while Green would be the player who could drop fifty on any given night.

An appealing avenue, no doubt. No one would fault -- or even criticize -- the Rockets if they chose to pursue this route. It's the one I'm personally the biggest fan of. And one that seems most likely to happen.

Draft Evan Mobley

One of the two intriguing options behind Cunningham was Green. The other is big man Evan Mobley.

Mobley fits the label of "unicorn" in today's NBA. A true 7'0" center who can defend all positions, and capable of handling the ball and creating his own offense. There are plenty of bigs who know how to handle a basketball -- one just won MVP -- but there aren't as many who look as natural doing it as Mobley.

There's only one other guy that tall I've seen move like that. And he's currently playing in Brooklyn.

Another upside to Mobley's game is his defense. That would be expected, given his height, but it goes beyond rim defense. Mobley has excelled in perimeter defense at the college level, and has shown the ability to negate pick-and-roll action by locking up guards at the three-point line.

Mobley is still a little raw, as is every skinny big coming out of college. His rebounding numbers could also stand to be a little better -- he only averaged 8.7 a game in his final season at USC. But the upside Mobley possesses is, like him, enormous.

If Houston went with Mobley, he would be paired with Christian Wood in the frontcourt. Two scoring bigs that could operate with and without the ball, and excel in the pick-and-roll. Whereas Wood is a little lacking on defense, Mobley could more than make up for it with his lateral quickness. Big men pairings haven't been a real focal point in the modern NBA, but Mobley and Wood aren't traditional big men.

A player with a defensive ceiling of Rudy Gobert or Bam Adebayo, that could initiate offense or feed off his fellow young stars. Houston could do a lot worse with the second pick.

Trade Down

For all the drama surrounding the choice between Mobley and Green, Houston would be happy with either. Both seem to be surefire stars in the league, and the Rockets don't have a glaring need at either position.

However, the same cannot be said for other teams. Most teams that find themselves in the NBA Lottery aren't there because of the fallout of trading a franchise superstar. They're there because, well, they stink. And they need talent, badly.

Cleveland is one of those teams, though they seem to be on the right track (at least partially). Acquiring one of the best up-and-coming bigs in basketball in Jarrett Allen, they've paired him with a young guard tandem in Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. Isaac Okoro, their most recent draft choice, also shows promise, especially at the defensive end. Seems like they're in a good spot, right?

Well, yes and no. Garland and Sexton show promise, but don't seem to be superstar-quality players (at least, not yet). Sexton will also become a restricted free agent in 2022. Sexton is good, but doesn't seem to potentially be involved in Cleveland's future plans.

The Cavs could be locked in on Jalen Green. However, so could Houston. In which case a trade would be a possibility between the two teams.

One trade could see Sexton potentially moving to Houston along with the third overall pick. Cleveland would receive the second pick, and lesser capital from the Rockets. The Cavs would get their Green/Garland backcourt to pair with Allen and Okoro, while Houston would have a dynamic young backcourt in Sexton and KPJ to go along with Wood and Mobley.

If Houston is fine with either of Green or Mobley, then Stone might deem it fit to explore a potential increase in assets while still getting a star in the draft.

Trade Up

Remember when I said that Cade Cunningham was the clear number one pick in the draft this year? The Detroit Pistons, holders of the first overall pick, might not think so.

It might just be speculation. It might just be a ploy to get teams to overpay for the first pick (in fact, it probably is exactly that). There's no denying Cunningham's ability.

But, hear me out. If there is even a slight chance that Detroit is wavering on Cunningham in favor of Green, then Stone should be on the phone. If it took two additional first round picks to jump up one spot and acquire a generational talent, then there is no reason he shouldn't do it. It says a lot about Green that he's in the same conversation as Cunningham, but you don't pass up the chance to get a guy like Cade if you have the assets for it.

The chances are slim to none. But they're there. And if you're Rafael Stone, well, it couldn't hurt to call once and ask, right?