Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets, has a feel for evaluating prospects and identifying talent.

But this was different.

Last year, during a brief hiatus from his day job scrutinizing jab steps and jump shots, Morey was able to partake in another interest — by sizing up love ballads submitted by composers who were vying to work on a musical comedy that he is producing. He later huddled with the show’s writer and director.

“I made them follow our pre-draft process,” Morey said. “So I was like, ‘We all have to rank the players. And we can’t talk before we rank them because you have to eliminate group think.’ And then after we did all the rankings, we talked about it.”

The musical, called “Small Ball,” which is now bound for rehearsals and a six-week run in Houston, bridges two of Morey’s great loves: basketball and Broadway. Known for his savvy, analytics-laced way of leading the Rockets, Morey — former high school trombonist, current theater obsessive — has relished the chance to sneak behind the curtain.