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Rockets earn No. 3 selection in NBA Draft Lottery

NBA basketball draft prospect Johnny Furphy, left, looks at the draft lottery order in front of a draft lottery sign before the draft lottery in Chicago, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (Nam Y. Huh, Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The Houston Rockets have completed another lucky season in the NBA Draft Lottery, as they landed the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Head coach Ime Udoka represented Houston at the lottery for the second consecutive year.

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The squad entered the lottery with a relatively low chance to land a high pick. Their highest-ranking selection, which they acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in the James Harden trade in 2021, had a 20.3% chance to land in the top four, and a 4.5% chance to earn the top spot.

The No. 1 overall selection was awarded to the Atlanta Hawks. The Washington Wizards earned the second spot, and the San Antonio Spurs will have the fourth pick after Houston. The Detroit Pistons—who entered the lottery with the worst record in 2023-24 and the highest odds to earn a top pick—will pick at No. 5.

The Rockets had a slim chance to win another selection in the lottery, but their pick would have had to also land in the top four. Instead, it landed at No. 12, and was given to the Oklahoma City Thunder, as part of the Chris Paul/Russell Westbrook trade in 2019.

This will be the fourth consecutive year that the Rockets will pick in the top four. Their last three top picks were Jalen Green, Jabari Smith and Amen Thompson.


About the Author
Michael Horton headshot

Michael is a Kingwood native who loves visiting local restaurants and overreacting to Houston sports. He joined the KPRC 2 family in the spring of 2024. He earned his B.A. from Texas A&M University in 2022 and his M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023.

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