Flush with draft assets, Rafael Stone faces a pivotal crossroads. Discover why prioritizing depth and long-term synergy outweighs the gamble of building a traditional, top-heavy superteam.
With the Houston Rockets having a significant number of future draft picks in the upcoming years, it’ll be interesting to see how they use those assets. I think they have a few different options.
The most exciting choice would probably be to go star hunting, but that can mean a lot of different things. Which pieces of your young core are you actually willing to give up? If any at all. We just saw Jalen Green go last year, but how much more will be stripped away?
Are you trying to bring another star in to play with Kevin Durant? Or are you wanting to swap KD with a younger, more long-term star that can grow with the young guns?
I personally wouldn’t recommend trying to be like the Brooklyn Nets or LA Clippers of yesteryear. The superteam era is over, and now the NBA is about depth. Neither one of those teams had much success anyways.
Just look at the teams in the Finals. The New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs don’t have a ton of superstars. They each have two All-Stars and some great supporting casts.
They were meticulously built through years of trades, but a lot of them were role players. Mikal Bridges and OG Anonuby stand out in particular.
If Rafael Stone and the Houston Rockets choose to use their stash of future picks on another star caliber player, I think it’s important to aim for someone that can grow with the team.
Be patient and don’t go all in on one guy because you’ll need more picks to fill out the roster. Depth and roster versatility is as important as ever.
