Yahoo Sports: Rockets' Rafael Stone is NBA's Best at Drafting Players

Although it was unknown at the time, Rafael Stone was the perfect person to spearhead the Houston Rockets front office at the time he inherited the job. He led the franchise through their toughest days in recent history and helped the team transition from a tear-down and organizational overhaul to the second-best team in the Western Conference in a span of five years. 

Oftentimes, rebuilding teams seemingly remain in that same state for ages.

Alot of it comes down to drafting, especially if you're a tanking team and own your own draft picks. 

Or even if you own the picks of a non-tanking team, as there are unheralded gems in every draft class. 

Overall, drafting has been one of Stone's best skills, which is why the Rockets are set up nicely for the future. It's a bit of a shift from Stone's predecessor, Daryl Morey, who preferred going all in and trading draft capital that held any value.

Those Rockets were in a different state than the Rockets Stone inherited, so it made sense.

Just how good has Stone been with drafting? According to Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports, Stone has been the best GM in the league, as it pertains to selecting the right players in the draft.

"There is a reason the Rockets were ready for Kevin Durant. Stone has drafted so well the Rockets have developed from what was a 17-win team when he took over to a 52-win No. 2 seed this past season — all on the backs of a handful of high-end draft picks, including All-Star center Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson, who at age 22 may be as likely to develop into a home run as anyone in the league right now.

The Rockets were so good last season they decided they were one piece away from more serious title contention. They believed Jalen Green, their No. 2 overall pick in 2021, was not that one piece, so they flipped him for Durant, who could be the guy. It was a bet against Green's potential as a home run.

Stone's draft record has benefited from four consecutive selections in the top five of the first round, though one of those picks, Reed Sheppard, remains a mystery. If Sheppard hits, there is a real chance that when we update this list a year or two from now, Stone's score could be even higher. As it is, he is the best around, and the Rockets are among the league's championship favorites as a direct result."

Like every GM, Stone hasn't been flawless, which is par for the course. After all, the draft is a crapshoot. 

I'm sure he'd have taken Quentin Grimes instead of Josh Christopher if he had a do-over. Or Andrew Nembhard instead of TyTy Washington in the 2022 NBA Draft.

But buy and large, he's done well with his lottery picks (although some would say Evan Mobley would've been the right pick over Jalen Green in the 2021 NBA Draft).