Rockets GM Rafael Stone finishes fifth in NBA Executive of the Year voting

By virtually any objective measure, 2023-24 was a very successful season for the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets.

After averaging fewer than 20 wins per season over the previous three years, the 2023-24 Rockets (41-41) became just the 10th NBA team in history — and the fifth in the last 30 years — to immediately follow a season of 60 or more losses with a non-losing season.

Houston’s 19-win improvement from 2022-23 (when they finished 22-60) was the largest year-on-year increase in the NBA this season, and the second-biggest annual jump in franchise history.

General manager Rafael Stone played a key role. In the preceding offseason, Stone hired Ime Udoka as head coach; drafted promising rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore in the first round; and signed an impactful free agency class featuring Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green, Aaron Holiday and Jock Landale.

With that in mind, Stone finished in a tie for fifth place in the league’s 2023-24 Executive of the Year voting (won by Boston’s Brad Stevens). Unlike other end-of-season awards, which are voted on by media members, the voting panel for the league’s top executive award consists of team basketball executives from around the NBA.

Voting results are available below. Stone, who recently had his contract extended by the Rockets, finished with two first-place votes (fourth-most of any NBA executive) and one third-place vote.

Story originally appeared on Rockets Wire