Houston prioritized elite floor spacing over defensive grit, but Bogdan Bogdanović’s concerning injury history makes this low-cost splash a high-stakes roll of the dice for Rafael Stone.
The Houston Rockets made a very surprising first move in free agency this week, and I’m not sure how to feel about it. With all of the reports indicating that Ime Udoka would be reuniting with Marcus Smart, a Serbian sniper took precedence.
Though it was only a minimum contract, it was still jarring to see Bogdan Bogdanović pop up as the first transaction made by Rafael Stone. It’s understandable though, given his career 38.1-percent from deep on 6.3 attempts per game, according to Basketball-Reference.
I find it surprising because he’s really struggled to stay healthy in these past couple of seasons. He was traded for Atlanta after only playing in 24 games, then played 30 games with the Clippers to finish the 2024-2025 season.
I think shooting 30-percent from deep had something to do with him getting shipped out, but he picked it back up in LA, shooting 42.7-percent. That’s never going to be my concern with him, but what good is shooting if he’s not on the court?
The 54 total games two years ago was followed by only 23 games this past season. This time it was due to a hamstring tear that was reported less than a year ago at EuroBasket 2025.
With other shooters on the market, as covered on Roundtable, I do find it a little odd that this is the one Houston went with. This feels like a signing they could’ve knocked out of the park, but I’m personally questioning it a bit as of now.
