MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — When Kyle Wiltjer interviewed with the Houston Rockets before last year’s N.B.A. draft, he came prepared. He knew all about Daryl Morey, the team’s general manager. He knew all about the Rockets’ belief in analytics. He knew all about their fondness for the 3-point line. Wiltjer, a 6-foot-10 forward with a willowy jump shot, was as personable as he was knowledgeable, or at least that was the way he came across.

“He was probably one of the greatest draft interviews of all time,” Morey said in a recent telephone interview, “which, honestly, sometimes makes me like guys less.”

In Morey’s worldview, carefully circumscribed by data, charm does little but cloud judgment. For one thing, he could not tell if Wiltjer was being authentic. Was it all an act? Morey also worries that coaching staffs are susceptible to playing favorites with players like Wiltjer and giving them more minutes than they actually deserve.

“He was like the student who sits in the front row, giving an apple to the teacher and sucking up to everybody,” Morey said. “I couldn’t get him to break form.”