’s introduction to the NBA did not go as planned. Projected as a potential lottery pick coming out of high school, Stone’s stock dropped to a marginal first-round selection despite a productive freshman year at Maryland and ultimately to No. 40 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Many believed that Stone’s decision to leave after only one season was a big mistake.
His rookie year with the Clippers was spent mostly in the D-League. It was followed by another type of NBA reality when Stone was a part of a three-team trade that landed the 6-foot-11 center with the Atlanta Hawks.