"We need to understand his vision," Stone told RocketsWire's Ben DuBose. "It doesn’t make any sense to go get a great player whose strengths are in a style of basketball that Ime doesn’t want to play.”
Stone's comments last week reflect a willingness to empower Udoka in his first year as the team's coach, a luxury not necessarily given to previous head coach Stephen Silas. Per The Athletic's Kelly Iko, Silas "felt his influence on the team was being suppressed" beginning in the 2021-22 season, and the issue persisted through 2022-23.
"Throughout Silas’ tenure, the looming presence of general manager Rafael Stone was also one the head coach had to manage," Iko wrote in April.