5 worst NBA draft decisions by the Houston Rockets in the 21st century

The Houston Rockets are undoubtedly one of the league's heavy hitters today. The franchise's brilliant front office has made many right decisions in this regard. However, for every right decision a franchise makes, there are also ones that don't pan out as well in the NBA. That is no different with the Houston Rockets as well, a team that has made a few mistakes in the NBA Draft.

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On that note, let us take a look at the five worst decisions made by the Houston Rockets on NBA draft nights since the turn of the century.

5 worst NBA draft decisions by the Houston Rockets in the 21st century

For this list, we have considered the prospects the Houston Rockets chose to pick and the future stars or even superstars the franchise missed out on in the process. We will also look at how some players who were drafted in but did not live up to expectations So, without further ado, let's get started.

#5 Joel Pryzibilla

Joel Przybilla

The Houston Rockets could not have done too much worse in the NBA Draft in 2000 when they selected Joel Przybilla in 9th-overall.

Much was expected of the player, but he went on to average a poor 3.9 points and 6.2 rebounds during his career, with barely any part of it coming with the franchise that actually drafted him.

Couple that with the fact that the Houston Rockets could have had the likes of Hido Turkoglu and Michael Redd in his place, Przybilla has to go down as the one of the team's worst draft-day decisions in the 21st century.

#4 Royce White

Royce White (left)

The Houston Rockets, who needed a forward, had the 16th-overall-pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, but the franchise decided to pick Royce White.

The player turned out to be such a huge bust that he played only three games in his professional career and is still yet to record stats in any stat category.

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To make matters worse for the franchise, the Houston Rockets could have drafted Jae Crowder, Draymond Green and even Khris Middleton. All three proved to be incredibly successful forwards who contributed to NBA championship contenders.

#3 Clint Capela

Clint Capela

Clint Capela is not a bad player at all. In fact, the 26-year-old is one of the better lob catchers and rim protectors in the NBA. But the reason the player comes in so high as a draft mistake on this list is due to the quality of the player that came after him - Bogdan Bogdanovic.

Since his rookie year, Bogdanovic has been a very good two-way player and has developed into one of the better and more versatile players in the league. But it gets so much worse.

Nikola Jokic, who turned out to be one of best passers and offensively-skilled big men in the league, was there for the taking, but the Houston Rockets didn't pick him. To this day, fans of the franchise wonder what might have been.

#2 Luther Head

Luther Head

Luther Head was a first-round pick in the 2005 NBA Draft but only lasted six seasons in the league. A bad pick to say the least, the player averaged only 8.1 points and 2.1 assists per game during his career.

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As if that wasn't bad enough for the Houston Rockets, this particular NBA Draft had elite scorers like Monta Ellis and Lou Williams. Both were players who could have incredibly benefitted the Houston Rockets franchise.

#1 Marcus Morris

Marcus Morris

Yet another player who is very good, Marcus Morris, is one of the elite shooting big men in the NBA. In different circumstances, he could have been an excellent pick for the Houston Rockets. Unfortunately for the Houston Rockets, there was more to the story.

The franchise picked Morris with the 14th-overall pick, while the very next pick in that NBA Draft was used to select Kawhi Leonard. While the 29-year-old did not show much at the offensive end at the time, his defense was incredible from the get-go.

While many didn't see the development of Kawhi Leonard coming, it is nevertheless the worst NBA Draft mistake the Houston Rockets have made in the 21st century.