NBA mock draft: Why Rockets will add Reed Sheppard with No. 3 pick

Reed Sheppard #15 of the Kentucky Wildcats after the 95-73 win over the Miami Hurricanes at Rupp Arena on November 28, 2023 in Lexington, Kentucky.The Houston Rockets never completely hit the lottery and secured the No. 1 pick in the last four years of their post-James Harden rebuild, but it's hard to quibble with the luck of the ping-pong balls for general manager Rafael Stone in recent years.

Houston secured three cornerstones of its current rebuild with top-five picks in each of the last three drafts (Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson). This trio is supplemented—and perhaps surpassed—by Alperen \u015eengün, Tari Eason and Cam Whitmore, the three non-lottery first-rounders…