GM Rafael Stone aggressively pursued his target, securing a vital roster piece and signaling a bold new chapter in Houston’s championship pursuit.
Last night the Houston Rockets’ GM Rafael Stone made a couple of very nice draft decisions. This is actually the first time he’s made a pick in the second round with the expectation that they’ll remain on the team.
In prior seasons, the organization was in rebuild mode and prioritizing first round picks. That’s understandable, as it’s helped them build out their team, but times have changed.
Those picks are now getting their rookie extensions, so second round picks are more valuable to fill out the roster. That makes the selection of Bruce Thornton a bit shocking in my opinion.
I previously thought he could be a player to look at with the 39th or even 53rd pick, as discussed here on Roundtable, but obviously Houston valued him much more than that.
They actually traded up eight picks to get him with the first pick in the second round, something I wasn’t sure if Rafael Stone would be willing to do. I love the aggressiveness and decisiveness though.
They still got to keep a late second round pick too, only moving back to 55th. A really inexpensive considering a future second rounder from the Sacramento Kings was the only other piece involved, as of now.
Regardless of where they selected him and what trades it took, they clearly had a player in mind and went for it. Not even taking a single chance for him to go to another team, as suggested here on Roundtable. A confident and purposeful selection that I hope pays off.
