Rockets general manager Rafael Stone identified ball-handling, passing and decision-making as areas that needed improvement, and he believes he has addressed them with his offseason additions, Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle writes in a subscriber-only story. Speaking to reporters before Houston’s first Las Vegas Summer League game Friday night, Stone talked what free agent signees Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic will bring to the team.
Stone is particularly happy to add Smart, who agreed to a two-year, $13MM contract after spending last season with the Lakers. Stone confirmed that 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 Smart will provide some insurance in case the team decides to decrease VanVleet’s workload early in the season.
“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 commented on a few other players, telling reporters that Reed Sheppard “looks way bigger” since the playoffs ended and that Kevin Durant might benefit from the stability of the Rockets’ roster in his second season with the team.
“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.”
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- Stone also discussed Tari Eason‘s new five-year extension, which includes a player option for the final season, Shankur adds. Stone said they tried to reach an agreement before the deadline last October, but they were unable to, resulting in months of uncertainty for the young forward. “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.
- Bruce Thornton gave the Rockets exactly what they were expecting in his Summer League debut Friday night, Shankar states in a separate story. Thornton’s ability to take care of the ball was among the reasons Houston was willing to trade up to the 31st pick to select him, and he committed just one turnover in 35 minutes while scoring 27 points in a victory over Denver. Thornton doesn’t mind when defenders try to use a physical approach to stop 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.”
- Quadir Copelandwho signed a two-way contract after going undrafted out of North Carolina State, plays with an edge that the Rockets find appealing, Shankur adds. “He brings that juice, talking trash, getting in scraps, altercations out there,” Summer League coach Will Dunn said. “… We like people that have that little toughness, that kind of toe the line with that edginess.”
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