\u201cI think we\u2019ve built something around work ethic and toughness,\u201d Rockets GM Rafael Stone tells Space City Home Network\u2019s Vanessa Richardson.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Between Tilman Fertitta as owner, Rafael Stone as general manager, and Ime Udoka as head coach, the current Houston Rockets<\/a> have a level of tenacity in their leadership ranks.<\/p>\n The same can also be said of the team\u2019s veteran on-court leaders, most notably guard Fred VanVleet, forward Dillon Brooks, and center Steven Adams.<\/p>\n As Stone sees it, that type of culture is beneficial to the development of younger players. Houston currently has a \u201cyoung core\u201d consisting of seven first-round prospects (Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, and Reed Sheppard) obtained from the NBA\u2019s 2021 through 2024 draft cycles.<\/p>\n All were 23 years old or younger last season, which means they\u2019re at a highly impressionable stage of their development. In an exclusive interview with Space City Home Network\u2019s Vanessa Richardson<\/a>, the in-game, sideline reporter for Houston\u2019s regional TV broadcasts, Stone elaborated on the dynamic:<\/p>\n It starts with Tilman, but I think there\u2019s a certain personality type that is going to do better here, than others. Ime definitely fits that. He fits Tilman really well, and he fits me really well. The three of us all kind of approach life in the same way, and so I think that bleeds into our players.<\/p>\n When you bring in guys that are this young, they\u2019re trying to figure out how to be professionals. Some of it is you observe it, and then you do it. That\u2019s one of the great things about having a team this young. My personality, Ime\u2019s personality, Fred\u2019s personality, Dillon\u2019s personality, Steven\u2019s personality\u2026 all of us share a lot of the same characteristics.<\/p>\n I think for our young players, it just becomes what you do. This is how you\u2019re successful. I think we\u2019ve built something around work ethic and toughness.<\/p>\n In 2024-25, that formula led the Rockets (52-30) to the fourth-best record in the NBA and the second-best in the Western Conference. Relative to a 22-60 finish (under previous head coach Stephen Silas) and a 41-41 record in Udoka\u2019s first season, this was a year of clear progress for the franchise.<\/p>\n Yet, Houston still has a ways to go to become a top-tier title contender, and Stone accepts the challenge as the organization turns its focus to 2025-26.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, (the goal) is getting better over the course of the summer,\u201d Stone told Richardson<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s what is in front of us. I guarantee you we\u2019re not going to turn over the entire team, and young players definitely have a greater opportunity to do more (offseason work) than veteran ones, and we\u2019re extraordinarily young.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, for those guys, this summer is just an enormous opportunity,\u201c Stone added. \u201cAnd they\u2019re entering it coming off this hard-fought playoff series (a first-round, seven-game loss<\/a> to the Golden State Warriors<\/a>) where they should have learned some really important lessons. Our whole team has that under their belt, so now you internalize that and come back with a renewed focus. Those things that were a struggle in the playoffs, make sure you\u2019re really working on those areas. Your strengths, make sure they\u2019re stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n