The Houston Rockets are not walking into the 2026 NBA Draft needing another star. They already have enough young talent to keep the Western Conference awake at night. What Houston actually needs now is fit, and if Matt Able is still sitting there at No. 39, the Rockets may have found one of the cleaner value picks in the second round.
Able has quietly become one of the biggest risers at the NBA Draft Combine after transferring from NC State to North Carolina earlier this offseason while simultaneously testing the draft waters. The 18-year-old guard averaged 8.8 points per game as a freshman for the Wolfpack and shot 35.5-percent from three, but his combine performance is what really started turning heads.
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Able also turned heads in Chicago, knocking down seven threes throughout combine scrimmages and looking far more comfortable offensively than many expected entering the week. That’s exactly the kind of profile teams start circling this time of year.
To me, the fit with Houston makes a ton of sense.
The Rockets don’t need another player demanding 15 shots a night. They already have creators, between Amen Thompson, Alperen Şengün, Reed Sheppard and Kevin Durant, Houston’s offense already has enough initiators.
What the Rockets still need is affordable shooting, lineup flexibility, and developmental depth behind the rotation. That’s where Able comes in.
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At 6 ‘6 with legitimate shooting touch and room to grow physically, Able projects as the exact kind of low-maintenance offensive piece contenders constantly look for. He moves well without the ball, can space the floor, and clearly doesn’t need an offense built around him to impact winning.
More importantly, Houston would not be asking him to save the franchise on day one.
Second-round picks fail all the time because they get drafted into situations where they are expected to create immediately. Houston offers the opposite environment. Able could develop slowly behind veterans while learning how to play next to high-level creators instead of trying to become one overnight.
The Rockets also badly need cheap contributors moving forward. With major contracts already on the books and younger players eventually becoming extension-eligible, finding controllable rotation pieces becomes critical.
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Able feels like such a realistic and advantageous Rockets target.
No. 39 is for hunting project players. And if Houston believes Able’s combine shooting surge is real, the Rockets may have an opportunity to steal one of the better long-term shooting prospects available in the second round.