October 23, 2024 • 14 mins
After going 3-1 in the preseason, the Houston Rockets are ready to host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday for their first home season opener since 2019. The Rockets finished last season 41-41 after going 22-60 in 2022-23 and look to improve upon that record and make the playoffs, which Houston hasn't done since 2020. General manager Rafael Stone joins "The Matt Thomas Show with Ross" to preview the upcoming season and discuss signing Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun to contract extensions as the pair enters the final season of their rookie contracts. "We are a very attractive market," and the Rockets were able to "provide them with some flexibility" with different contract lengths and structures, Stone said. Sengun agreed to a five-year, $185 million extension that includes a player option for the fifth season in 2029-30. Green agreed to a three-year, $106 million extension, which includes a player option for the third year, giving him the ability to opt out of the contract before the 2027–28 season to become a free agent. Green has shown "a much greater level of consistency," Stone said. "You either work hard or you don't, and both [Sengun and Green] definitely do." While both Green and Sengun took big steps forward in their player development last season, many expect the same from younger players such as Amen Thompson. The fourth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft averaged 9.5 ppg and 6.6 rpg last season and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. "He's just blessed with athletic gifts that no one has," and "I think he's going to be a huge part of what we do every game." Rookie Reed Sheppard started four games at the NBA Summer League in Vegas, averaging 20.0 ppg, and has earned an established role in the Rockets rotation. "I think he's going to play right away," Stone said. "He's not a static guy on defense" because "he's trying to make plays."
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's talk to the general manager of the Houston Rockets
on this opening night, rafel Stone, with us here on
the show Ravel. Good afternoon, thanks for joining us, and congratulations.
Was the two guys and the signing of their contracts
was I don't like you're to do Listen, you kept saying,
all right, day one, day five, day ten, we gotta
I gotta knock this off my checklist.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
No, but you know, but but it was obviously a
really big thing for us and for them.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
But I think, you know, just kind of the way.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
The way the collective bargaining agreement works and and their
and their contract structures, it was, you know, it was
definitely the checklist was make sure we're having good conversations
with them, and we're touching base and and and we're
talking through things. But but if something didn't happen this offseason.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
We would have just gone in the next off season.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
They for sure both those guys factor under our plans
long term, and.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
So you know that that was kind of something we
took for granted.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
But but in terms of like we have to get
it done now, no, it wasn't a have to. It's
a very very very nice too, though I'm really excited
for those guys, and I'm excited for the team.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
I think they're very excited. I think the lot of
Rocket fans are excited. You've got two different contract links.
I don't know if that was intentional or that's wiggle
room or just with the client and the player and
the agent and yourself wanted. So where where do we
fall on the three years for Jalen and five for OUTP.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, no, it's really just that what those guys preferred,
you know what I mean. And so I think you know,
one thing about being in Houston. We I don't want
to say we take it for granted, but we're very
very attractive market and and you know, and you know,
I've now lived with Jalen and Alpern for three full years,
(01:50):
and you know, I know they love it here, and
I know what they want to spend their careers here,
and I know they love working with em and their
teammates and everything else. So we you know, so from
our perspective, I guess we sometimes I think teams operate
out of fear that players might prefer other destinations.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
That that's that that that that.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Wasn't and kind of isn't can you know for us
really something that that that worries us?
Speaker 3 (02:19):
And so so it was more just, hey.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
We we want to find a good agreement that works
for for us and for them. And you know, when
you do that, everybody's got to make some concessions here
or there. And certainly they made some, and certainly we
did too. But in terms of like the length and
the structure, I think, you know, we wanted to provide
them with some flexibility so that they felt more comfortable,
(02:43):
and and that was that was an area we could
provide some that was you know, that we could give
on you know, depending upon what they preferred.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
And so we did.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
You know, again, like we we we think we're an
extraordinarily attractive place. So we're we're not terribly worried that
they're not always going to want.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
To be here.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Raphael Stone, Rockets general manager, with us here on the
Matt Thomas Show with Ross on Sports Talk seven and eighty.
I always want to ask you this, if you took
if you if I went to your office and did
an internship with you, how long Now, don't make fun
of my intellect, but how long would it take for
me to learn the collective bargaining agreement in the NBA,
because me trying to explain it to my radio audience
(03:21):
is just foolish on my part. It is so convoluted
in such a mess. Do you have to constantly cross
check every single, every single nuance to that thing?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Yeah, I mean, uh, before you do something, Yes, like
you have to.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, you have to go back and well, you asked
me a bunch of questions, and.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
There I'm gonna answer the last one, right, which is
I do have to double check everything? And the answer
is yes, you for sure do because you need to
make you know, it's so much money, and it's so
and as people's lives, you need to make absolute sure
that that what you think you can do you can do.
And so you pull up the specific section and you
(04:04):
reread it, and then you confirm it with lawyers at
the NBA, and then you go forward. By the way,
one of the things that I think never occurs to
people is that even when you confirm it with lawyers
at the NBA, if they're wrong, you're still in trouble
because and because it's collectively bargained.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
So it's lawyers at the NBA and.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
At the Players Association who write the language, and if
they don't agree on what the language means, the lawyers
at the NBA don't get it dictated. It then goes
in front of, you know, an arbitrator or something like that.
We've actually had that in the past where where people
interpret things differently and the team has kind of been stuck,
stuck on the hook long in the past, like I
(04:50):
don't know, fifteen years ago or something like very very
long ago.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
But it was a great learning lesson for me that
you have to be really, really careful.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
And so again it's not enough even calling the league
and asking, not not that they would ever be wrong intentionally,
but human beings make mistakes. You have to be careful
and you need to make sure you do the work
yourself as well. In terms of the first part of
your question about how long it would take to learn,
you know, yeah, it's not quick, but if you you know,
(05:17):
if it's an enormous part of your job, and if
you've got a little bit of background in contracts, you know,
I think it's something that in a couple of years
you can become really fluent in. I'm lucky and that
one of the guys I work with understands is even
better than I do.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
And and I'm I'm I'm I'm.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Pretty good at it. So between the two of us,
we yeah, we're very comfortable. So we we have kind
of a depth and breadth of knowledge that that I
would stack up against any other teams. A lot of teams,
you know, struggle more than maybe we do with with
with that aspect of.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
It, rockets GM Rafelstone with us here on Sports Talk
seven ninety and specifically on Jalen Green. As we know,
we've seen the ceiling and what he can provide on
the floor. This this contract, of course, a vote of
confidence in his abilities. What have you seen from him
that is allowed you to give that vote of confidence
and what he can grow into and be consistent as
(06:14):
far as an All Star caliber player.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Well, I mean the first thing we've seen is is
kind of since the All Star break last year, we've
just seen much.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
We've seen pretty consistent play.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
He's been you know, you're not He's a scorer and
shots don't always go in. So it's not when when
you talk about consistency with a score, it's not it's
it's not necessarily does the guy make you know, three
out of seven threes every single game, because because that
doesn't happen.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
One game he'll make five month game, he'll make one. Whatever.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
But but what you do see is that is that
a player is getting the specific spots where and knowing
and reading the defense well each and every time and
contributing in other ways, like their defenses is improving, their
their RECOGNI on when to kick and when to go
is improving all of those things.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
And so we we've definitely seen a much greater level
of consistency with Jalen.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
That that started, like I said, kind of midway through
last season, and and we've seen it in the preseason,
we've seen it in our training camp practices, and so
we're just really, you know, really really excited about his
future because of because we're seeing greater consistency and and.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Because of his improven arc.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
He's you know, he's he's definitely somebody who came in
with really really unique and special talents but had to
learn a lot of the game, and it's gotten every
year he's gotten a little bit better. And and in
in someone that that.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Young and that talented, that's you know that that's what
you're at. That's the big ask is please get better.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Every year, work really hard at it and and he's
definitely done that.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Yeah, And with he and Shin Gun talking about that
and improving and getting better. How much of that do
you use the en court data? And obviously it's a mix.
But as far as things on the personal level, putting
in the work and being coachable and all that type
of stuff, how much do you lean on coach Udoka
for those things and other parts of your staff?
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Well, I mean, we we're very much a collective.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
We have the smallest staff in basketball.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
And it's very intentional because it allows it allows us.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
All to lean on one another and have real input.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
If you get to there's some staffs there are sixty
seventy people and there's nothing wrong with that, but but
at that point, not everybody can weigh in, and not
everybody can you just can't coordinate that amount of people.
And so so it's for us, it's very much we're
small and it's a collective and everybody's listening to everybody,
(08:47):
and obviously emails, you know, has an enormous voice, but
it's also like so that's our process. But with both
Jayleen and Alburn, like it's obvious you know, like and
I've been around them, and in that respect, I've got
any norms advantage over email the rest of our coaches
(09:08):
because because I've been around them so much longer, and
and for both of them kind of you can you
can in real time watch them grow up and and
it's just exciting and it's fun, right and they came
to us as teenagers, and and watching them become you know,
young adults is awesome on a on a very personal level,
(09:29):
having nothing.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
To do with basketball.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
And and then on the court, you know, I'm I'm
at every workout, I'm at every practice, and you can
tell if you know, not everybody.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Has a great day every day.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
But either people work hard or they don't, and both
go both those guys definitely do.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Lastly, Rafelle, I was so excited about the development of
Amen Thompson last year. I mean, May puts them in
so many different positions, from the point guard to the
power forward defensively, all the intangibles you knew about when
you drafted him. I'm excited about his year two development.
And then I think there is so much preseason hype
about Reed Shepherd. Give us a thought or two about
(10:08):
what you've seen just from Reid in particular, from the
time you drafted him, throughout training camp, the preseason, and
then obviously some expectations about a men for the season.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
I will let me, let me invert them. Let me
start with the men. We're yeah, we're we're really excited
about him. Man.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
He he actually had a really hard year last year
because if you remember, he didn't even make it to
his first.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Summer League game. He sprained his ankle, missed the rest
of Summer league.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Came to camp, had a really good camp, and then
immediately sprained his other ankle and was out for twenty
games and then got sick, and like, I still don't
know what was wrong with him, but he was coughing
for two and a half months last year and lost
about fifteen pounds and just had a really really hard
year and wasn't feeling good or feeling like him self
(11:00):
until I'd say, maybe January, maybe halfway through January, and
then we started to kind of see him pick up
a little bit and then kind of like Jalen post
All Star break, he really put it together and we're
we're really excited about him. He's you know, he's just
a really good basketball player, and he's and he's just
blessed with athletic gifts.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
That no one has.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
He's so big and strong and fast and jumps so
high and and because he's a really good player, he's
able to use that those advantages on both sides of
the ball and rebounding and and he's just he's really
been good for us this summer and in preseason, and
so you know, I think he's going to be a.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Huge part of what we do every game. And and the.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Quicker he's able to translate that play, which is some
of it is like confidence, and some of it is
like his teammates, and some of it is just him.
But the quicker, he's able to play like the player
we've seen the better will be. And And where's about that,
Whether that whether that translates immediately at one hundred percent
on day one, or it takes twenty games.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
Or whatever, We're we're really excited about his future. I'm
equally excited about Reid's future.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
But he's a rookie and so you know, I think
I think he's gonna play right away, and and I'm
excited about that because he had to earn that that
you know, it was not, even though we were drafted
him so high, Like nobody told coach Udoka that that
that he had to play. And you know, uh, it's
you bring in talent and I hand it over and
(12:33):
then you know he made. His job is to win
games and so so, but I do think he's carded hit.
He's earned uh you know, a spot in the rotation
to start the year, which is really exciting. The game
of basketball comes very easy to him. Uh, he's somebody
who kind of makes the right read over and like
no pun intended over and over and over again. And
(12:55):
and then defensively, he's a he's a playmaker. And we
have a couple of those guys. Fred is one, Dylan
is one, Tari is one, and a men is one,
so we actually have a bunch. But he's a playmaker.
It's not he's not a static guy on defense. He's
he's reading what the opposition is trying to do. He's
he's trying to take the ball away, he's.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Trying to touch it. He's trying to make plays.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
And and you know that's translated a bit. The flip
side is, uh, he's never played a regular season NBA game,
and everybody's really big and really strong and really good.
And the things that you get away with at lower levels,
including summer league and and even against bench units, you
you just cannot do against against some of the better players.
(13:39):
So there's just this natural adjustment period that every player
in the NBA goes through, and he's going to go
through and some guys get through it a little quicker,
some guys a little slower.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
You know. We'll see how that goes. But but we're
we're very very excited about him and his future and
uh and yeah, we do think he can be dynamic.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Awesome stuff. Rafel thank you very much for the time,
best of Luca, not only tonight but the entire season,
and we will see you at the TC later this evening.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Appreciate the visit. Really you do awesome.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Thanks guys, all right, we'll see that's rafel Stone, general
manager of the Houston Rockets, with us here on Sports
Talk seven ninety
Let's talk to the general manager of the Houston Rockets
on this opening night, rafel Stone, with us here on
the show Ravel. Good afternoon, thanks for joining us, and congratulations.
Was the two guys and the signing of their contracts
was I don't like you're to do Listen, you kept saying,
all right, day one, day five, day ten, we gotta
I gotta knock this off my checklist.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
No, but you know, but but it was obviously a
really big thing for us and for them.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
But I think, you know, just kind of the way.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
The way the collective bargaining agreement works and and their
and their contract structures, it was, you know, it was
definitely the checklist was make sure we're having good conversations
with them, and we're touching base and and and we're
talking through things. But but if something didn't happen this offseason.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
We would have just gone in the next off season.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
They for sure both those guys factor under our plans
long term, and.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
So you know that that was kind of something we
took for granted.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
But but in terms of like we have to get
it done now, no, it wasn't a have to. It's
a very very very nice too, though I'm really excited
for those guys, and I'm excited for the team.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
I think they're very excited. I think the lot of
Rocket fans are excited. You've got two different contract links.
I don't know if that was intentional or that's wiggle
room or just with the client and the player and
the agent and yourself wanted. So where where do we
fall on the three years for Jalen and five for OUTP.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, no, it's really just that what those guys preferred,
you know what I mean. And so I think you know,
one thing about being in Houston. We I don't want
to say we take it for granted, but we're very
very attractive market and and you know, and you know,
I've now lived with Jalen and Alpern for three full years,
(01:50):
and you know, I know they love it here, and
I know what they want to spend their careers here,
and I know they love working with em and their
teammates and everything else. So we you know, so from
our perspective, I guess we sometimes I think teams operate
out of fear that players might prefer other destinations.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
That that's that that that that.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Wasn't and kind of isn't can you know for us
really something that that that worries us?
Speaker 3 (02:19):
And so so it was more just, hey.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
We we want to find a good agreement that works
for for us and for them. And you know, when
you do that, everybody's got to make some concessions here
or there. And certainly they made some, and certainly we
did too. But in terms of like the length and
the structure, I think, you know, we wanted to provide
them with some flexibility so that they felt more comfortable,
(02:43):
and and that was that was an area we could
provide some that was you know, that we could give
on you know, depending upon what they preferred.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
And so we did.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
You know, again, like we we we think we're an
extraordinarily attractive place. So we're we're not terribly worried that
they're not always going to want.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
To be here.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Raphael Stone, Rockets general manager, with us here on the
Matt Thomas Show with Ross on Sports Talk seven and eighty.
I always want to ask you this, if you took
if you if I went to your office and did
an internship with you, how long Now, don't make fun
of my intellect, but how long would it take for
me to learn the collective bargaining agreement in the NBA,
because me trying to explain it to my radio audience
(03:21):
is just foolish on my part. It is so convoluted
in such a mess. Do you have to constantly cross
check every single, every single nuance to that thing?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Yeah, I mean, uh, before you do something, Yes, like
you have to.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, you have to go back and well, you asked
me a bunch of questions, and.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
There I'm gonna answer the last one, right, which is
I do have to double check everything? And the answer
is yes, you for sure do because you need to
make you know, it's so much money, and it's so
and as people's lives, you need to make absolute sure
that that what you think you can do you can do.
And so you pull up the specific section and you
(04:04):
reread it, and then you confirm it with lawyers at
the NBA, and then you go forward. By the way,
one of the things that I think never occurs to
people is that even when you confirm it with lawyers
at the NBA, if they're wrong, you're still in trouble
because and because it's collectively bargained.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
So it's lawyers at the NBA and.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
At the Players Association who write the language, and if
they don't agree on what the language means, the lawyers
at the NBA don't get it dictated. It then goes
in front of, you know, an arbitrator or something like that.
We've actually had that in the past where where people
interpret things differently and the team has kind of been stuck,
stuck on the hook long in the past, like I
(04:50):
don't know, fifteen years ago or something like very very
long ago.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
But it was a great learning lesson for me that
you have to be really, really careful.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
And so again it's not enough even calling the league
and asking, not not that they would ever be wrong intentionally,
but human beings make mistakes. You have to be careful
and you need to make sure you do the work
yourself as well. In terms of the first part of
your question about how long it would take to learn,
you know, yeah, it's not quick, but if you you know,
(05:17):
if it's an enormous part of your job, and if
you've got a little bit of background in contracts, you know,
I think it's something that in a couple of years
you can become really fluent in. I'm lucky and that
one of the guys I work with understands is even
better than I do.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
And and I'm I'm I'm I'm.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Pretty good at it. So between the two of us,
we yeah, we're very comfortable. So we we have kind
of a depth and breadth of knowledge that that I
would stack up against any other teams. A lot of teams,
you know, struggle more than maybe we do with with
with that aspect of.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
It, rockets GM Rafelstone with us here on Sports Talk
seven ninety and specifically on Jalen Green. As we know,
we've seen the ceiling and what he can provide on
the floor. This this contract, of course, a vote of
confidence in his abilities. What have you seen from him
that is allowed you to give that vote of confidence
and what he can grow into and be consistent as
(06:14):
far as an All Star caliber player.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Well, I mean the first thing we've seen is is
kind of since the All Star break last year, we've
just seen much.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
We've seen pretty consistent play.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
He's been you know, you're not He's a scorer and
shots don't always go in. So it's not when when
you talk about consistency with a score, it's not it's
it's not necessarily does the guy make you know, three
out of seven threes every single game, because because that
doesn't happen.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
One game he'll make five month game, he'll make one. Whatever.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
But but what you do see is that is that
a player is getting the specific spots where and knowing
and reading the defense well each and every time and
contributing in other ways, like their defenses is improving, their
their RECOGNI on when to kick and when to go
is improving all of those things.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
And so we we've definitely seen a much greater level
of consistency with Jalen.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
That that started, like I said, kind of midway through
last season, and and we've seen it in the preseason,
we've seen it in our training camp practices, and so
we're just really, you know, really really excited about his
future because of because we're seeing greater consistency and and.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Because of his improven arc.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
He's you know, he's he's definitely somebody who came in
with really really unique and special talents but had to
learn a lot of the game, and it's gotten every
year he's gotten a little bit better. And and in
in someone that that.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Young and that talented, that's you know that that's what
you're at. That's the big ask is please get better.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Every year, work really hard at it and and he's
definitely done that.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Yeah, And with he and Shin Gun talking about that
and improving and getting better. How much of that do
you use the en court data? And obviously it's a mix.
But as far as things on the personal level, putting
in the work and being coachable and all that type
of stuff, how much do you lean on coach Udoka
for those things and other parts of your staff?
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Well, I mean, we we're very much a collective.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
We have the smallest staff in basketball.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
And it's very intentional because it allows it allows us.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
All to lean on one another and have real input.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
If you get to there's some staffs there are sixty
seventy people and there's nothing wrong with that, but but
at that point, not everybody can weigh in, and not
everybody can you just can't coordinate that amount of people.
And so so it's for us, it's very much we're
small and it's a collective and everybody's listening to everybody,
(08:47):
and obviously emails, you know, has an enormous voice, but
it's also like so that's our process. But with both
Jayleen and Alburn, like it's obvious you know, like and
I've been around them, and in that respect, I've got
any norms advantage over email the rest of our coaches
(09:08):
because because I've been around them so much longer, and
and for both of them kind of you can you
can in real time watch them grow up and and
it's just exciting and it's fun, right and they came
to us as teenagers, and and watching them become you know,
young adults is awesome on a on a very personal level,
(09:29):
having nothing.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
To do with basketball.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
And and then on the court, you know, I'm I'm
at every workout, I'm at every practice, and you can
tell if you know, not everybody.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Has a great day every day.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
But either people work hard or they don't, and both
go both those guys definitely do.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Lastly, Rafelle, I was so excited about the development of
Amen Thompson last year. I mean, May puts them in
so many different positions, from the point guard to the
power forward defensively, all the intangibles you knew about when
you drafted him. I'm excited about his year two development.
And then I think there is so much preseason hype
about Reed Shepherd. Give us a thought or two about
(10:08):
what you've seen just from Reid in particular, from the
time you drafted him, throughout training camp, the preseason, and
then obviously some expectations about a men for the season.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
I will let me, let me invert them. Let me
start with the men. We're yeah, we're we're really excited
about him. Man.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
He he actually had a really hard year last year
because if you remember, he didn't even make it to
his first.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Summer League game. He sprained his ankle, missed the rest
of Summer league.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Came to camp, had a really good camp, and then
immediately sprained his other ankle and was out for twenty
games and then got sick, and like, I still don't
know what was wrong with him, but he was coughing
for two and a half months last year and lost
about fifteen pounds and just had a really really hard
year and wasn't feeling good or feeling like him self
(11:00):
until I'd say, maybe January, maybe halfway through January, and
then we started to kind of see him pick up
a little bit and then kind of like Jalen post
All Star break, he really put it together and we're
we're really excited about him. He's you know, he's just
a really good basketball player, and he's and he's just
blessed with athletic gifts.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
That no one has.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
He's so big and strong and fast and jumps so
high and and because he's a really good player, he's
able to use that those advantages on both sides of
the ball and rebounding and and he's just he's really
been good for us this summer and in preseason, and
so you know, I think he's going to be a.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Huge part of what we do every game. And and the.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Quicker he's able to translate that play, which is some
of it is like confidence, and some of it is
like his teammates, and some of it is just him.
But the quicker, he's able to play like the player
we've seen the better will be. And And where's about that,
Whether that whether that translates immediately at one hundred percent
on day one, or it takes twenty games.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
Or whatever, We're we're really excited about his future. I'm
equally excited about Reid's future.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
But he's a rookie and so you know, I think
I think he's gonna play right away, and and I'm
excited about that because he had to earn that that
you know, it was not, even though we were drafted
him so high, Like nobody told coach Udoka that that
that he had to play. And you know, uh, it's
you bring in talent and I hand it over and
(12:33):
then you know he made. His job is to win
games and so so, but I do think he's carded hit.
He's earned uh you know, a spot in the rotation
to start the year, which is really exciting. The game
of basketball comes very easy to him. Uh, he's somebody
who kind of makes the right read over and like
no pun intended over and over and over again. And
(12:55):
and then defensively, he's a he's a playmaker. And we
have a couple of those guys. Fred is one, Dylan
is one, Tari is one, and a men is one,
so we actually have a bunch. But he's a playmaker.
It's not he's not a static guy on defense. He's
he's reading what the opposition is trying to do. He's
he's trying to take the ball away, he's.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Trying to touch it. He's trying to make plays.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
And and you know that's translated a bit. The flip
side is, uh, he's never played a regular season NBA game,
and everybody's really big and really strong and really good.
And the things that you get away with at lower levels,
including summer league and and even against bench units, you
you just cannot do against against some of the better players.
(13:39):
So there's just this natural adjustment period that every player
in the NBA goes through, and he's going to go
through and some guys get through it a little quicker,
some guys a little slower.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
You know. We'll see how that goes. But but we're
we're very very excited about him and his future and
uh and yeah, we do think he can be dynamic.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Awesome stuff. Rafel thank you very much for the time,
best of Luca, not only tonight but the entire season,
and we will see you at the TC later this evening.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Appreciate the visit. Really you do awesome.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Thanks guys, all right, we'll see that's rafel Stone, general
manager of the Houston Rockets, with us here on Sports
Talk seven ninety
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.