The second round of the 2026 NBA Draft is set to take place tonight, which means the Houston Rockets will be on the clock for the first time in this cycle. With picks No. 39 and 53, fans might not give much thought to these prospects, but this year's class runs deeper than people think.Houston has clear needs after a disappointing 2025-26 season, which should make these picks easier to project. A few first-round prospects dropped to round two after last night, which should get people excited.But these picks should do more than have fans wondering where they'd fit in the rotation. It's all speculation, but given reports of the Rockets' recent contract situations, they could be drafting for insurance over the best player available.First, Houston doesn't appear to close to signing Tari Eason, who will enter restricted free agency. With numerous teams interested, the Rockets could use one of their second-round picks to bring in a replacement and avoid a massive bidding war to retain the 3&D wing.Second, Dorian Finney-Smith is the elephant in the room regarding bad contracts. However, multiple teams are reportedly interested in the veteran despite his dismal season. If the Rockets move him, they could sign Eason, but they should also bring in depth to replace Finney-Smith at the forward spot.Of course, then there's the lack of a true point guard outside of Fred VanVleet, who missed the 2025-26 season due to a torn ACL. Houston should certainly be focused on bringing him back, but the $25 million player option is steep.If the Rockets can't restructure VanVleet's contract, their options will be compressed in terms of cap space. Given that they're already limited at point guard, one of these second-round selections should be some version of a facilitating ball-handler. Turnovers were a major issue this year.Some projected first-round talent that fell to round two includes Isaiah Evans, Meleek Thomas and Henri Veesaar. While not all of them may be available at No. 39, one of them could land in Houston to immediately impact the rotation.Evans and Veesaar are elite floor spacers, with Veesaar, in particular, filling a void at the center. Evans has experience at the highest level with Duke, taking the leap as a 3&D wing with a 6-foot-9 wingspan. Thomas is a high-motor freshman guard from Arkansas, standing at 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-7 wingspan.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow