Rockets: 6 key differences between Rafael Stone and Daryl Morey

6. Morey never looked to build the Houston Rockets with a young core

Morey never tried to build through the draft, but this makes sense when we realize that the Rockets never tanked under Morey. When he first got his job with the Houston Rockets, Morey’s goal was to build around Yao and McGrady.

When that came to an end, it was a short phase with Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry until James Harden came along. Morey always looked for experienced veterans to try and win rather than tanking and starting over.

This was a great way to keep fans entertained for sure, but I personally find it hard to believe that this strategy would’ve worked out in the long term had James Harden not arrived in Houston. Even when Harden’s career was rising, he was always surrounded with veterans, and the Houston Rockets were even the oldest team in the 2019-20 NBA season.

Clint Capela was the only drafted player under Morey that made a huge contribution during the Harden era with the Rockets (unless you want to count Danuel House?), and even he was traded for Robert Covington, another veteran. Morey valued experienced players over the young players, and this is well different from how Stone has handled the Houston Rockets thus far.

Next: No. 5