When the NFL Draft came around last April, Houston was lit up with Texans talk: who will we take with the No. 2 pick and, surprise surprise, the No. 3 pick?

Texans fans were elated, actually more relieved, when Houston selected quarterback C.J. Stroud from Ohio State and delighted when they landed edge rusher Will Anderson from Alabama.

Interest ran high because football fans in Houston were familiar with the league’s top choices. We had seen No. 1 pick Bryce Young, the one who got away, play nearly every week for two years at Alabama. We watched Stroud’s heroic effort in the college semifinal game against Georgia. We knew all about Anderson’s ability to wreck an offense at Alabama.

The first round of the NFL draft involves superstar college players from major conferences whose games are on TV every Saturday. We know these players and we want them on our team.

The NBA Draft is different. Tonight league commissioner Adam Silver will call out names that fans, while they may recognize them from pre-draft publicity and predictions, may never have seen in action on TV or in person.

With the NFL, fans can make up their own draft boards based on what they’ve seen personally. With the NBA, fans have to rely on NBA scouts, executives, and analysts.

You know these scouts, executives and analysts, they’re the same geniuses who in recent years, after spending millions on research, recommended taking the following “guaranteed superstars” with the No. 1 overall pick: Markelle Fultz, Ben Simmons, Anthony Bennett, Greg Oden, Andrea Barnani, and Kwame Brown. Major flops all.

The Rockets are rumored to be pursuing free agent Fred VanVleet to lend proven veteran leadership to their young squad. VanVleet wasn’t even drafted in 2016. So there.

The bigger problems daunting fans’ interest in the NBA Draft in recent years are the emergence of international players and the developmental G League. Most fans do not watch G League games and can’t watch international leagues.

If the NBA is a star-driven league, it’s a fair argument that international ball has produced as many megastar talents as U.S. colleges. The last five Most Valuable Players were either born outside the U.S. or played on international teams before joining the NBA: Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic (twice) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (twice).

Four of the five 2023 All-NBA First Team members were born outside the U.S.: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Now for tonight’s draft:

Victor Wembanyama is the most talked-about, can’t-miss, sure-fire No. 1 pick since Zion Williamson in 2019. Wembanyama, we’re told, will change the way NBA basketball is played. He instantly makes the Spurs must-see TV. He’s 7 ft. 4 and can shoot threes, run the floor and block shots.

That’s a big “we’re told.” Like most NBA followers, I have never seen Wembanyama play a complete game. He played for the Metropolitans 92 team in the LNB Pro A tier of the French basketball league. Big fan?

All most NBA followers have seen of Wembanyama are highlights from France. Yes, he looks dominant and unstoppable. He’s also playing against opponents who would not make an NBA team.

He also looks skinny and young, which he is. Wembanyama is 19 years old. Williamson was only 18 when he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2019. With all the talent in the world, Williamson has been a major disappointment due mainly to injuries and, some accuse a hearty appetite and lack of professionalism. Williamson doesn’t look skinny. He’s missed about 65-percent of Pelicans games since he entered the NBA. With a long-term contract worth about $200 million, Williamson is an overpaid, overweight, part-time member of the Pelicans active roster. When Charles Barkley calls you fat, it’s time to give Jenny Craig a call.

The NBA Draft will start at 7 p.m. on ABC and ESPN with the San Antonio Spurs on the board. At 7 p.m. and one nanosecond. Charlotte comes next and is projected to take either Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite or Brandon Miller from Alabama. Portland will pick third.

Then it’s Houston’s turn. Most experts have the Rockets selecting Amen Thompson from Overtime Elite. We can only hope that the Rockets war room has done its due diligence on Thompson and he becomes a productive player for Houston. Most fans have never seen Thompson play. Would you recognize Amen Thompson in a supermarket? Did you know what position he played before his name popped up on the Rockets wish list? (He’s a 6 ft. 7 guard reportedly with a high basketball IQ.)

But there is reason to get excited. The last three years have presented Houston a No. 2 (Jalen Green), No. 3 (Jabari Smith Jr.) and No. 4 (tonight), along with No. 17 in 2022 (Tari Eason). The Rockets also have the No. 20 pick tonight.

That’s one way, probably the best way, to build a successful team, to draft wisely. And that’s where hope enters the game.