Although the Houston Rocketsdon’t own a first-round pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft, the team still has an opportunity to add quality prospects, with two second-round selections (No. 39 and No. 53). In a recent NBA mock draft conducted by Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, the Rockets are projected to select one of the best interior defenders in the draft with the No. 39 overall selection.
This, of course, would be Virginia center Ugonna Onyenso. Although Onyenso is 21 years old after playing four seasons in college, his measurements match those of current NBA centers. Onyenso weighs in at 245 pounds and is 7’0″ tall with a long 7’5″ wingspan. Onyenso had an unreal block percentage of 17.4% in his senior season with the Virginia Cavaliers, averaging 2.9 blocks per game in less than 20 minutes of playing time. Only Kyle Evans of UCI averaged more (3.3), but he averaged 10 more minutes per game than Oneynso. Onyenso also displayed his shot-blocking ability against some of the 2026 NBA Draft’s top prospects, averaging seven blocks per game in three ACC Tournament games. This included a monster nine-block performance against Cameron Boozer and the Duke Blue Devils in the finale.
All in all, considering Onyenso’s size and shot-blocking prowess, he may be the perfect prospect to develop behind veteran center Steven Adams.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Recent mock draft sends dominant shot-blocker to Houston