Rockets GM Rafael Stone Talks Marcus Smart, Bogdan Bogdanovic, And Expectations For Young Players

The Houston Rockets’ general manager, Rafael Stone, was part of the team contingent that visited the Fire Station 08 Downtown in Houston as part of their homage to the firefighters who gave up their lives on September 11, 2001.

Subsequently, he spoke to the media about the Rockets’ upcoming season, with training camp less than two weeks away. He mainly focused on their key offseason additions, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Marcus Smart.

“We wanted to be more skilled, and they’re both highly skilled players. We wanted some more shooting, and Marcus can shoot, and Bogdan’s like a truly great shooter, an all-time great.”

“So those are the things we need, but in the context of the type of people we want, they’re both tough, physical, and they fight. I think they’re going to fit in really, really well with our group.”

“But that’s always kind of something that you weigh: I want to be better in this area, but you don’t want to sacrifice everything else, you know? And we’re hopeful they’ll be additive in multiple areas, especially adding to our on-court skill.”

“But I’m always going to get back to this: our team will get where we really want to get if our younger players keep improving, so the onus is still on them. But I’m excited for those two guys; I think they’re going to help us,” Stone concluded.

Bogdan Bogdanovic is coming off a season where he spent most of the time on the sidelines while recovering from a hamstring injury. In the 23 games he played for the Clippers, he averaged 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 38.8% from the field and 34.7% from beyond the arc.

But that doesn’t fully capture what he can still bring to the table, since he was recovering from an injury and settling into a new team after spending most of his career with the Kings and the Hawks.

His career averages are 14.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 43.6% from the field and 38.1% from three-point range. So, in his peak health, the nine-year NBA veteran could be a lethal weapon from beyond the three-point line.

Marcus Smart, on the other hand, is coming off a season where he contributed to the Rockets’ playoff exit with his tenacity in the first round for the Lakers.

In 2025-26, he averaged 9.8 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 39.5% from the field and 33.2% from the line in the regular season and playoffs combined.

But against the Rockets in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, he averaged 14.7 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 46.4% from the field and 44.8% from the three-point line when Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic were both injured.

So the Rockets clearly got a glimpse of what he can do as a backup point guard. The Rockets need to figure out how to use Fred VanVleet, Reed Sheppard, and Marcus Smart at point guard.

It will certainly be interesting to see how these two guards fit into the Rockets’ backcourt rotation, considering the Rockets already have four confirmed starters in Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson.