3 immediate priorities for new Rockets GM Rafael Stone - Space City Scoop

Houston Rockets Russell Westbrook James Harden (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Newly promoted Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone will have to immediately get to work, as the Rockets have several pressing decisions that need to be made.

With the 2019-20 NBA season officially in the books, the next chapter for the Houston Rockets is the 2020 offseason, which has been an eventful one thus far. The Rockets were dealt a sizable blow in the front office, as longtime general manager Daryl Morey decided to step down, opting to maximize on quality time with his family, and rightfully so.

Morey becomes the third front office member to leave the Rockets within the past year, as Monte McNair departed for the Sacramento Kings’ front office vacancy earlier in the offseason, which comes a year after Gersson Rosas joined the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Rockets promoted Rafael Stone to fill Morey’s position and promoted Eli Witus as Stone’s assistant GM.

The Rockets had a fairly successful first season with Russell Westbrook and James Harden in the backcourt, and especially considering the schematic changes they made, as Morey defied all conventional basketball logic by getting rid of the traditional big man, while the season was already underway.

But in order for the Rockets to build onto this past season, which saw them go 44-28 and finish with the fifth seed in the Western Conference, they’ll have to address several priorities. Let’s take a look three of the most pressing needs for Stone and Witus.