An unexpected reconstruction! How did Stone save the Rockets?

For the Rockets this season, it is still a bit conservative to praise them for their good results. After accumulating 100 wins and 218 losses in the past three seasons, the Rockets have turned around this season, scoring a record of 52 wins and 30 losses, and locking in the second place in the West in one fell swoop.

This dramatic change is mostly attributed to the series of operations by the team's general manager Stone in recent years. Although he experienced an unstable running-in period in the early stages of the team, since last season, he has stepped on almost every step of his hand at a critical point, bringing the Rockets back to the ranks of competitors step by step.

Now, let's review how Stone dragged the Rockets out of the bottom of the reconstruction: Before the 2020-21 season started, Stone took over the position of general manager, and the Rockets were still facing a lot of trouble at that time. The team's core Harden is almost certain to leave the team, Westbrook's adaptability is questioned, and the team's championship window has long been closed. However, in just four and a half years, the Rockets returned to the Western Conference's ranks. Not only did they hold a number of new star potential, but they also stockpiled a large number of draft picks and trading chips, and they could trade superstars at any time. And the key figure in this entire turnaround process is Stone.

Trading masterpiece: James Harden

Stone's most representative operation was the decision he made in his ninth game: to send Harden to the Nets. Although many fans regret that the Rockets failed to exchange more instant combat power in the Harden trade, the Harden trade still received a large amount of future assets:

four unprotected first rounds (from the Nets and the Bucks), and four draft swap rights.

The most important thing is that Stone showed a firm attitude in the first transaction. His refusal to accept bad conditions and avoided the wrong route of forcing the transition star during the reconstruction period. Although this deal did not return any potential stars that could be tried to cultivate, as the Nets' Big Three left the team one after another and the Nets entered reconstruction, and the value of those draft picks was also rising.

Even several of the draft picks were later sent back to the Nets for the Suns' future first round. The value of this deal is still helping the Rockets accumulate resources.

Reconstruction begins: Draft vision

, and the team wants to rebuild, not rely on trading superstars, but mainly rely on drafts. Stone's draft vision is still remarkable so far.

In 2021, the Rockets selected Jaylen Green with the second pick. Although he was a consensus choice with excellent offensive talent at that time, there was also controversy about his low efficiency. Green's upper limit for this choice is very high, but it is doubtful whether it can be converted into a positive asset.

In the same year, Stone selected Shen Jing through the transaction, and also selected Garuba, Josh Christopher and others. But now the two are no longer in the team, but Shin Kyung has developed into an All-Star-level insider, which is the biggest gain among these rookies.

The 2022 draft is another victory. The Rockets chose Jabbarry Smith Jr. in the second draw. The newcomer made up for the fourth starting position at the first time. What is even more surprising is Tari Ethan, who is ranked 17th, who gradually became the most active bench first defensive player in the league. One draft allowed the Rockets to win two key players in rotation.

On the 2023 draft night, Stone selected Amen Thompson in the fourth pick and Whitmore in the 20th pick. The former has excellent potential. With his excellent defense and super explosion foundation, he has the opportunity to become a star player at the core level; while the latter once showed results after getting playing time in the rookie season, but his condition this season was slightly stagnant and the rotation time was unstable. Unfortunately, it seems that it is highly likely that it will not be in the Rockets' long-term plan at the moment.

In 2024, Stone chose Shepard in the third pick. But unfortunately, the Rockets' rotation is basically full, which has led to him not being able to enter the rotation yet, and it is difficult for us to evaluate his comprehensive impact. But judging from the whole season, he has made outstanding performances in some games and still has future potential.

Overall, Stone's draft performance was excellent enough and successfully laid a solid foundation for the team. Five players in the core rotation level and many newcomers in the future potential stocks are the direct reason why the Rockets' record can jump this season and the most successful step in Stone's reconstruction process.

Turning point: The free market and coaching team

Summer of 2023 is the turning point for the Rockets' reconstruction. After the bad season, Stone entered the free market with huge salary space and started very quickly. Less than a week in the free market, the Rockets quickly signed two veterans, Van Vleet and Brooks, the former with 130 million in three years and the latter with 80 million in four years.

Although these two contracts caused a lot of controversy at the time, it was definitely worth it to the money based on their performance with the Rockets, and they could make great contributions to the team from both on and off the court.

As a championship veteran, Van Vleet injected leadership temperament into the team, and played the role of the Rockets needed on the offensive end. Brooks joined the Rockets after the Grizzlies suffered a slump, turning gorgeously into a defensive sharp knife, becoming the nightmare of the opponent's main player.

These two reinforcements, coupled with the hiring of Uduka as head coach, all aspects convey a message: The Rockets don't want to play a bad game.

Judging from the results, Uduka is definitely worthy of rewarding for merit. As an old-school defensive coach, he brought structural system and executive discipline to the young Rockets, and also gave the team a tough and resilient defensive value. In his first year of coaching, he led the team to a 50% winning rate, winning the second place in the Western Conference this season.

Future Perspective: Rich Assets

In addition to the players themselves, Stone has also created one of the best draft asset packages in the league. Referring to the current chips on the Rockets, including:

three unprotected first rounds from the Suns (2025, 2027, 2029), the right to swap draft picks with the Nets in 2027, the first rounds of 2028, 2029, and 2030, and a large number of second round picks.

Considering the Rockets' current lineup, if Stone really decides to win a superstar, almost all other teams in the league will not be able to compete with the Rockets.

The shortcomings: mistakes are inevitable, and flaws do not hide their merits

Of course, in addition to flattery, we must point out that not every operation is completely successful.

Wood, who was traded in 2020, seemed good at first, but he still couldn't integrate into the team. Although his data on the court is pretty, the Rockets played a very ugly stage and it is hard to be regarded as a successful case. In the end, Stone chose to switch him to a first round and later chose Whitmore.

In addition, Kevin Porter Jr., a typical low-risk and high-reward operation, but it failed completely due to off-site problems. Although he can occasionally show his potential on the field, it is obviously not a puzzle worthy of management's trust in the long run, and the Rockets quickly drew a clear line with him and broke up in time.

There is a 2021 draft in the future. The Rockets selected Josh Christopher with the 24th pick, and Quentin Grimes, who missed the 25th pick, was a bit regrettable after time verification, but fortunately it did not become a fatal injury to the team.

Of course, there is another biggest option to be determined, which is Jaylen Green. Although his talent is high enough and occasionally allows people to see star-level firepower, he has not yet transformed into the efficient scorer that the Rockets expected. If his development fails in the end, the Rockets will probably face considerable controversy in the choice of winning him at the second place.

Looking at the entire reconstruction path, although these mistakes exist, they are basically minor flaws. As long as Jaylen Green can finally fulfill his expected talent, the above-mentioned so-called will basically be ignored.

Final Summary

During his tenure as general manager of the Rockets, Stone also encountered a lot of doubts and criticisms, but in recent years, his choices have gradually fulfilled their value and are also refuting the negative voices one by one with reality.

Looking at the past five years, the new Rockets team he has created has achieved amazing results, whether it is the team culture, lineup depth, coaching team, draft assets, etc. The Rockets have not only become a competitive team again, but also one of the few young teams that have both current talent, future potential and trading chips.

So, although we were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, we should still praise the Rockets enough, and we should also give Stone some applause and affirmation. He successfully rebuilds the team in a short time and makes them what they are now, which is definitely not an easy task.