Rockets general manager Rafael Stone thinks he’s checked off two of the biggest boxes on his offseason to-do list: more ball-handling and passing, plus better decision-making. He pointed to the additions of Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic as the moves that should help get Houston there, according to Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle.
Stone spoke to reporters before the Rockets’ first Las Vegas Summer League game Friday night, and Smart was a major part of the conversation. The veteran guard signed a two-year, $13MM deal after spending last season with the Lakers, and Stone said he’s especially pleased to have him in the fold. Fred VanVleet is expected to be fully ready for the start of training camp after missing all of last season with a torn ACL, but Stone said Smart gives Houston some cover if the team chooses to ease VanVleet back early in the year.
“We’re just really excited. I did not expect we were going to be able to exit this summer with (Smart),” Stone said, adding that he’ll improve the team’s ball movement without compromising the defense.
Stone also had a few other updates on the roster. He said Reed Sheppard “looks way bigger” since the playoffs ended, and he believes Kevin Durant could benefit from the continuity around him in his second season with the Rockets.
“The time I’ve spent with him, he seems happy, serene. He’s going to know his teammates.
They’re going to know him,” Stone said. “I did feel like almost game-by-game everybody … got more comfortable as the season went on and so I’m hoping that we start next year where we ended this season in terms of people understanding what he’s about, what his strengths are, what his weaknesses are and vice versa.”
Stone also addressed Tari Eason’s new five-year extension, which includes a player option for the final season. He said the Rockets tried to get a deal done before last October’s deadline, but couldn’t reach one, leaving the young forward in months of uncertainty.
“Especially when you’re looking for your first big deal, there’s real pressure that comes with it that I would rather guys not have to go through,” Stone said.
On the floor, Bruce Thornton opened Summer League the way Houston hoped he would. The Rockets traded up to No. 31 to draft him, and his care with the ball was a big reason why. Against Denver on Friday night, Thornton delivered 27 points in 35 minutes and turned it over just once in a victory.
Thornton said he doesn’t mind when defenders try to get physical with him.
“That definitely helps to my advantage,” he said. “I put a lot of effort in the weight room and that’s just how I’m naturally built. So when guys try to be physical, it doesn’t bother me at all.”
The Rockets also like the edge Quadir Copeland brings. Copeland signed a two-way contract after going undrafted out of North Carolina State, and Summer League coach Will Dunn said his style stands out.
“He brings that juice, talking trash, getting in scraps, altercations out there,” Dunn said. “… We like people that have that little toughness, that kind of toe the line with that edginess.”
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