3 reasons why Rockets’ Rafael Stone isn’t your typical rookie GM

2. Stone’s moves as Houston Rockets GM have been flawless thus far

As we discussed earlier, Stone’s tenure started after Morey’s sudden departure before the season started. The Rockets weren’t in trouble like some experts thought, because they had an executive like Stone who could step in and not miss a beat. Stone’s moves have all been home runs so far this season.

Stone navigated the Westbrook trade rumors and then executed a trade for John Wall, a player who hadn’t played in two years, coming off a major injury. Wall has been everything the Rockets could hope thus far, while Westbrook and the Washington Wizards have struggled out of the gate. Stone also brought in players like Jae’Sean Tate and Sterling Brown, and was able to sign DeMarcus Cousins to a veterans-minimum contract.

Stone’s big moves have been as equally impressive as the ones that he’s refrained from making. Stone was able to bring in Christian Wood on a very manageable three-year deal worth $41 million, and let’s just say the return on investment on Wood has been great.

Christian Wood is the only player in the NBA with at least 20/10/2 averages in each of these categories.

No Davis, no Embiid, no Giannis.

Just Wood. https://t.co/JJWT653VA3

— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) January 9, 2021

As evidenced by the above statistic, Wood is off to an All-Star type of season.

Some NBA experts overlooked Wood’s dominance for the Detroit Pistons in 2019-20, as they stated that his sample size was too small, but Stone not only convinced Wood to sign, but as stated earlier, brought him in on a very team-friendly contract for the Houston Rockets.

Next: No. 1