This season, the Rockets finished with a solid 41-41 record but missed the postseason as the West’s No. 11 seed. The team then moved up in this past weekend’s draft lottery, claiming the No. 3 pick.
General manager Rafael Stone recently explained to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko that, despite the middling reputation of this year’s draft class, his front office likes a lot of the prospects available.
“I think it’s a really talented draft, and there will be very good players in it,” Stone said. “Historically, what we’ve seen is that people do not do a very good job predicting how good a draft is or is not. There are kind of unicorn-type players that occasionally appear in drafts and that signal early on in their lives that they have a chance to be extraordinarily special. And you see teams kind of falling over themselves to get themselves in positions to pick No. 1 in those drafts, even though the way everything’s set up, that’s a pretty impossible task. In that sense, there’s not someone like that in this draft.”
Their conversation is well worth reading in full, but here are some key highlights.
On how new Houston head coach Ime Udoka’s input impacts Stone’s draft process:
“Ime is a really good coach and basketball mind. We definitely solicit his opinion and get his thoughts as another smart person who can give us some insight on who’s likely to be successful. But in terms of draft philosophy, it’s very much let’s try and bring in guys who can be good basketball players.”
On whether the team’s strong season will affect its offseason approach:
“We’re comfortable with our team and we think we’re going to improve internally. Because of that, I don’t think we’re likely to be super aggressive. It doesn’t mean we won’t listen. And it doesn’t mean if we think that there’s a unique opportunity, we won’t jump at it. But we have very talented players, they’re young and we lost a ton of games to injury. That combination means our primary focus is bringing back our core group as a better core group than it was last year, both through internal improvement and health.”
On the growth of young talent like Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green, both of whom are extension-eligible:
“We want those guys to start next year at or above the level they finished at the end of the year. I think all of our young players got materially better. They understood what Ime wanted, how to play defense better, the right reads on offense. It needs to not be two steps forward, one back. If we do that, we’ll be in a good position. Those guys just have to work and we have workers. I’m very confident they will do it, but there is no magic elixir. It’s all about putting in the work. We don’t expect it to be linear. And some of the reason is because of externalities — playing time from the coach, the way the offense flows. All these other things can influence how people play. But notwithstanding, it’s mainly on them. They need to make sure they stay on this trajectory.”
Dillingham
They should look to trade Jalen Green, am I wrong?
I think it’s more likely that they hold on to him for one more season to see if his breakout self can mesh with Sengun. If not, he’s on the block by the deadline, but if he can, that’s a big win for their player development staff and the team as a whole. Trying to move him now isn’t in their best interest, imo.
Yea I don’t know if they would at this draft, but if they take Risacher or Matas if that’s how it falls, you’d think those guys would be your future focal.
Don’t think it’s that simple. Both of them have serious talent, but the two are wings, so they can play alongside Green and Sengun easily. On top of that, Sengun is a proven talent at this point and Green has shown consistent upside at the NBA level, while Buzelis and Risacher are both very… well, green. While they have the ability to succeed, you’d have to see them do so first before they replace existing centerpieces, especially as young as Sengun and Green both are still.
“But in terms of draft philosophy, it’s very much let’s try and bring in guys who can be good basketball players.”
What a groundbreaking approach.
Wizards trade Kuzma and their late first for #3 and salary. Win for both squads. Houston already has a young wing in whitmore that can groom. Kuz gives them scoring and rebounds that can stretch the floor at the 3/4. With them being close I see them making a push for the playoffs. Draft another big at #26.
A good GM is keeping green especially after what he showed last season. Grab a backup point/SG and keep developing. They are one vet and a backup big(easy to get) away from making some noise.
They have Steven Adams who will be back next year as the backup big. The Kuzma deal you posted is intriguing though.