With Houston playing good ball out of the All-Star break this a reminder that yes, you are still allowed to be mad at the Jared McCain trade.
The Rockets seem to have gotten their act together since this blog started tracking their progress and the 2026 first-round pick they owe to the Sixers. They went 3-1 over their last week of action, dropping only a matinee game in Miami to the Heat.
That’s kept their pick at 25th overall, just where it was a week ago. Houston’s schedule remains fairly easy, at least in the short term. They’ll host a banged up Golden State Warriors team this week as well as the Portland Trail Blazers before heading to San Antonio to take on the Spurs.
Anyone rooting for losses can at least take solace in the fact that those two home games are a back-to-back, and that Spurs matchup projects to be quite a battle.
Joshua Jefferson and Iowa State have only one remaining regular season game, that will also be March 7 at 2 p.m. ET against Arizona State.
It doesn’t feel likely that Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg would fall to them in this range, but their center Aday Mara has been mocked closer to where the Sixers might be picking. The Wolverines last two games are on March 5 at 8 p.m. ET against Iowa and on March 7 at 4:30 p.m. ET. You can catch that one on CBS.
Pick status this week: 25
Pick status last week: 25