It takes a number of things to make a good general manager in the NBA. Obviously you have to be able to identify talent, you have to be shrewd at deal making, and you have to have extensive knowledge of the CBA. Those are basically the fundamentals that the best GMs in the league possess. There are a few indicators to look at for figuring out if a particular front office has these fundamentals down pat and one of them is the art of the value addition.

This is when a front office identifies an undervalued talent and acquires it for a considerable bargain. It's really difficult to pull this off because the other 29 front offices are generally pretty good at evaluating talent. The league has also gotten a lot smarter and more front offices are using analytics to help find these players. When Philadelphia 76ers GM Daryl Morey was shepherding the Rockets front office, he constantly made value additions.

It's important to remember that value additions come in all shapes and sizes. It could mean a steal in the draft, a great contract for an unheralded player, a solid minimum signing, and more. Whether it was Chandler Parsons, P.J. Tucker, Patrick Beverley, or Clint Capela, Morey constantly found undervalued talent for the Rockets when he was at the helm. Since taking over a year ago, Rafael Stone has actually done a pretty good at keeping this tradition going.

Let's take a look at some of the value additions the Rockets have made during Stone's short tenure.

1. Christian Wood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjewIxrOjqs

 

The series of transactions that Houston completed to acquire Christian Wood is some of the most talented deal making I've ever seen. The Rockets essentially traded Robert Covington for Christian Wood and two protected first round picks. Not only that, but they got Wood on a bargain contract of $41 million over three seasons. The organization was hamstrung for assets and draft picks before this trade and Rafael Stone came out of it looking like a million bucks.

2. Jae'Sean Tate

Stephen Silas made Jae'Sean Tate the starter of a random preseason game in 2020 and it was probably the first clue we had that Tate was killing it in training camp. Tate had gone undrafted and played overseas for two years before the Rockets signed him to a multi-year deal in the 2020 offseason. As soon as the games started, it was clear that Silas had made the right decision to start him and that the NBA as a whole had made the wrong decision not to draft him in 2018. Tate possessed unique size and strength that made him a defensive stud.

His offensive instincts were also underrated as he was an instinctual passer and adept at scoring around the basket. He's averaging 15.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 0.9 steals on 56.7% true shooting per 36 minutes this season. He's been a starter in 82 of his 94 career games and three-point shooting has been his only real weakness. The Rockets managed to get him on a steal of a contract at $4.7 million over three seasons.

3. Garrison Mathews

 

What Garrison Mathews is doing right now for the Rockets is pretty incredible. Mathews bounced around the league for a few seasons before Houston claimed him his two-way contract off of waivers two months ago. He played with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for a short stint before the Rockets called him up last month. Sometime during their 15-game losing streak, the team started experimenting with rotations and Mathews found himself playing major minutes.

Suddenly the roster became ravaged with injuries and the Rockets inserted him into their starting lineup. They wisely decided it was best to ditch the Daniel Theis and Christian Wood units and opted for better floor spacing. Mathews, a career 39.2% three-point shooter, was a big part of this new concerted effort. He also has a level of size (6'5″ with a 6'7″ wingspan) that isn't commonplace for your typical elite shooter. Mathews' confidence level and defensive effort makes him playable for long stretches at a time. It's truly insane that he's on a two-way deal and starting for a team that's on a seven-game winning streak.

4. K.J. Martin

If you followed most draft experts, K.J. Martin was a player that was probably on track to be undrafted last year. However, the Rockets not only decided to take him at the 52nd pick, they paid cash to do so. That investment has proven to be pretty smart. Per 36 minutes, Martin is averaging 14.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.0 steals on 59.1% true shooting for his career. He's been the definition of an off-the-bench energy guy since he got into the league and although his jumper comes and goes right now, he's a strong enough finisher at the basket for it not to matter.

If he keeps this up, Martin will go down as a feather in Stone's cap of valued additions.

5. Alperen Sengun

 

I will go to my grave without understanding why the Oklahoma City Thunder decided to trade Alperen Sengun. At the 16th spot, Sengun was an absolute steal and that was before he played an NBA game. He probably should have gone top ten in the draft, but for some reason, he fell to the Thunder and they opted for two mystery box first round picks instead. His current NBA production makes him look like he should've been a lock for a top-seven pick.

Per 36 minutes, Sengun is averaging 17.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game on 58.1% true shooting. He looks like he's ready for a starting spot right now and probably has an All-Star ceiling. The capital Houston gave up to get Sengun looks like a it's paying dividends right now. The Thunder could have egg on their face for years if Sengun hits the high end of his NBA outcomes.