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Here is a list of all of Rafael Stone's draft picks: 2021 - Jalen Green (2) 2021 - Alperen Sengun (16) 2021 - Usman Garuba (23) 2021 - Josh Christopher (24) 2022 - Jabari Smith Jr. (3) 2022- Tari Eason (17) 2022 - TyTy Washington (29) 2023 - Amen Thompson (4) 2023 - Cam Whitmore (20) 2024 - Reed Sheppard (3) 2024 - Pelle Larsson (44)* [picked by Heat] 1. Taking Jalen Green at #2 was obviously the original sin and biggest misstep of the rebuild. 2. Trading for Alperen Sengun at #16 was probably the best move of the rebuild, which is ironic for reasons I've touched on recently. 3. I personally think that the jury is still out, but I think that 99% of people outside of Houston at this point would say that Reed Sheppard over Castle was a huge mistake. 4. Despite Jabari being incredibly underwhelming for a #3 pick, Amen, Jabari, and Tari were all good picks, but they were all also just a case of taking best player available. You could also probably argue, with the benefit of hindsight, that trading down from #3 might have been better value than taking Jabari outright. 5. Garuba, Christopher, TyTy, and Cam were all complete busts and wasted picks. The 44th pick in 2024 (which became Pelle Larson) was also traded to Miami for A.J. Griffin who subsequently left basketball before ever even suiting up for the Rockets. Another wasted pick. 6. To unload Garuba and TyTy, Stone traded second round picks in 2025 and 2028 to Atlanta to clear cap space for Brook Lopez who ultimately played the Rockets and returned to Milwaukee. Those of us who expressed concern over this train of events at the time were mocked as "asset management Twitter." Meanwhile, guys like Ajay Mitchell and Jaylin Williams are making major contributions on a contender while the Rockets fill their rotation with glorified cheerleaders like Jeff Green and Jae'Sean Tate. 7. Some notables picked after the Rockets' picks: 2021 - Quentin Grimes (25) 2021 - Herb Jones (35) 2021 - Miles McBride (36) 2021 - Ayo Dosunmu (38) 2022 - Andrew Nembhard (31) 2022 - Jaylin Williams (34) 2024 - Jamal Shead (45) And unless you're a Jae'Sean Tate or Daishen Nix fan, the Rockets also haven't had any notable undrafted free agents. (Yes, the same Daishen Nix that Stone infamously called a "lottery pick talent.") Once the Rockets' season unraveled, most of the discussion centered around the team's bad luck with respect to landing top tier talent. And it's true - they had historically bad luck missing out on Wemby and Cade. But what has been more concerning to me has been Stone's inability to find talent at the margins - talent evaluation at the cheap end is something an organization can actually control and not subject to lottery luck. Even if the Rockets are eventually able to land top end talent, either through a panicked trade this offseason (Giannis? Jaylen Brown?) or from lottery luck in 2027, I'm curious how anyone can look at the list above and have any confidence that Stone can build out a roster to compete with the league's elite teams.

Was there ANOTHER path for the Houston Rockets at point guard - other than Amen Thompson - after Fred VanVleet went down? #AllFire | @RooshWilliams

Lakers Today: Full conversation with Rockets analyst @RooshWilliams! Presented with @joinoffside Got into everything about the series including: - Rockets young core - Things people get wrong about KD's season - Why he picked the Lakers before it started And more

Lakers Today Show presented with @joinoffside Had a fun conversation with analyst @RooshWilliams on all things Rockets Lakers Preview of our KD segment you can catch on offside.gg Full convo tomorrow!

Were we WRONG about how much potential this Rockets team had? And is THAT why they've been so frustrating to watch this year? #AllFire | @RooshWilliams

Reed Sheppard is the only active player on Houston’s roster who can make this play and pass: 1. Bronny has to go over the screen because Reed can shoot 2. Hayes is shading underneath to crowd his space and prevent the drive 3. LaRavia has to help over to stop Sengun rolling

Positive Spin: as frustrating and disappointing as the Rockets have been all season. As many winnable games as they’ve completely blown. They’ve still continued to pick themselves up off the mat after getting knocked down. They only need to steal one game in LA. Just win Game 2.

Tap in with @RooshWilliams and myself as we preview the Lakers vs Rocket playoff series.. Lakers vs. Rockets Play Preview, Key Matchups and More! youtu.be/3pH9S6iy8QU?si… via @YouTube

I’m back with the good brother @ftank58 previewing Rockets vs Lakers. Live right now.

Had a blast talking all things hoops, dissecting the ups and downs of the Rockets season, and previewing Rockets vs Lakers with @WillKunkelV so make sure you check it out before Saturday! Link: youtube.com/live/9JQGyyDLM…

I'm going live right now with @WillKunkelV to do a deep dive on Rockets vs Lakers so tune in!

Rafael Stone’s message to Rockets fans who took issue with him saying that this isn’t Houston’s year: “Shame on them”

In 42 games as a starter last season, Amen Thompson averaged 16 PPG/9 RPG/5 APG/1.7 SPG and 1.6 BPG on 60% TS. And he did this in an off-ball role. All signs suggest the Rockets are better when he’s off ball. They should put him back in that role and start Reed Sheppard at PG.

🔥🚨🏀PREGAME POD🏀🚨🔥 Knicks vs Rockets Preview w/ @RooshWilliams Presented by @FanaticsBook 🎙️: @AndrewJClaudio_ youtu.be/sI3_KSNokNI

Always fun to talk Knicks/Rockets w/ @RooshWilliams - who is have a VERY similar experience to a lot of Knicks fans this season as you'll hear in this episode. ⬇️WATCH/LISTEN⬇️

This clip shows everything the Rockets are missing without Fred VanVleet. The offense lost this and did not replace it. At all. Pick and roll PG who’s a pull-up-3 threat to draw the big man up top and hit the bounce pass to Sengun rolling to the rim with shooters in the corners.

New episode of Rockets Talk with @ftank58 and myself: 1. Amen Thompson has one of his best games of the season playing in his role from last season 2. What’s going on with Houston’s offense? 3. Jabari Smith improving and Reed Sheppard’s important role youtu.be/h78awPgjvGk?si…

Amen Thompson was dominant against Phoenix last night and his performance perfectly illustrates how he’s at his best when he’s utilized as the invaluable Swiss Army knife that he is instead of tasked with creating for others in the halfcourt: Off-ball points: 7 Transition points: 6 Iso points: 8 Primary assists: 3 Secondary assists: 4 Transition assists: 1

First Rockets Talk episode of the 25-26 season is live: 1. Superstar Alperen Sengun has arrived 2. PLEASE get Kevin Durant the ball 3. Can Reed Sheppard overcome being a defensive liability? Will Houston have to seriously consider trading for a PG? youtu.be/c7_Efx_2qF0?si…

Full Rockets Season Preview: 1. The Jurassic Rockets™️ will look to tower over opponents, dominate the glass and win with physicality 2. Replacing 3 of 5 starters from the last two seasons is never an easy thing to do 3. Houston’s offense has a much higher ceiling than before