AUBURN | Going in with the No. 3 overall pick, Houston knew it was getting another building block for its young team in Thursday night’s NBA Draft.

But general manager Rafael Stone didn’t know he was also getting a perfect fit for a roster that now has seven first-round picks from the previous two drafts.

“We felt like we were going to get an unbelievable talent where we were and we did. We knew that going in. We’re really happy. Yea, we’re really happy,” said Stone of selecting Jabari Smith.

“He’s a seamless fit to our current group.”

Stone was able to scout Smith in-person this past season as he was named first-team All-SEC and USBWA Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Year at Auburn.

“Somebody asked me to compare him to existing NBA players and I can’t,” said Stone. “I think he’s really unique. I don’t remember seeing anybody with his size and his combination of defense and shooting. So I’m really excited to see what he can do.

“I think he’s probably the best shooter in the draft and at his height, that’s extraordinarily unusual.”

In addition to Smith, the Rockets also selected LSU forward Tari Eason with the 17th pick of the first round and Kentucky point guard TyTy Washington with the 29th pick via a trade with Memphis.

Houston head coach Stephen Silas believes the length and athleticism of the group will help the Rockets improve on its team defense, which ranked last in the NBA last season.

Houston also had the league's worst record at 20-62.

“We have five guys that were 20 years old last year and then we’re adding three more super young guys,” said Silas. “The challenge just comes with the learning curve. There’s going to be patience required but there’s also going to be the push to those guys to make sure they’re doing things the right way.

“They’re all talking about winning and they’re all talking about defense, which is great, but we have to build winning habits. That takes a little bit of time but as you saw the improvement of the group from the beginning to the end of last season, I anticipate it going a little bit quicker for this group.”

Smith has a good chance to fit right into a starting lineup along with point guard Kevin Porter Jr., shooting guard Jalen Green, forward Jae’Sean Tate and center Alperen Sengun.

All have been added to the Rockets’ roster over the last three years. Green, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, was named to the All-Rookie First Team after averaging 17.3 points per game last year.

He joined Allen Iverson as the only rookie to score 30 or more points in five consecutive games in the last 40 years. His 41 points against the Atlanta Hawks made him the first Houston rookie since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1985 to score 40 or more.

Sengun, the 19th pick in 2021, averaged 9.6 points and 2.6 assists in 20 minutes per game. Stone believes Smith and Sengun will work well together in the post.

“Alperen is an elite passer, especially for a center,” said Stone. “That’s a skill he possesses that just very few centers have. People who can put the ball in the hole, that really helps. So I think they compliment each other extraordinarily well. I think Jabari is your prototypical 4, big wing, whatever you want to call it, with just a ton of size and length that will really help us out.

“I think Jabari fits not just Alperen, but our entire team.”

Smith is slotted to sign a four-year deal worth $39.8 million.