When the Houston Rockets hired head coach Ime Udoka in 2023, they expected a defensive culture change. They got it straight away. However, it was only with a second starting-caliber center, in a healthy Steven Adams, that the team unlocked the full Udoka experience. Double bigs (playing two centers at the same time) has become Udoka’s signature move. The Rockets now have a third starting-caliber center in Clint Capela available for these looks as well. How long before Udoka lets his instincts take over the starting lineup?
Houston Rockets 2025-26 Predictions: Double Bigs By Christmas
Udoka has shown restraint with his preferred double big lineups so far in the preseason. That’s partly for the sake of much-needed offensive experimentation. The Rockets are using these games to take a good look at everything they’ve got. Additionally, the lynchpin of the double bigs just hasn’t played very much. Turkish army knife starting center Alperen Sengun is averaging just 22.6 minutes per game in the preseason. Sengun is the singular big man on the Rockets roster who makes double bigs possible. Udoka can’t exactly throw out the Swiss cudgel Capela and the Australasian anvil Adams to rapturous applause from the front office.
But the main reason for Udoka to show restraint in these games is that he doesn’t care about winning them. If he cared about winning, like he did in the 2024-25 playoffs, he would probably go with his gut. Udoka’s gut, time and time again, tells him to pick the two biggest humans he has on his bench, and tell them to go play basketball together.
Preseason Double Bigs So Far
Against the Atlanta Hawks, with both Capela and Adams available, Udoka played double bigs for about 11 minutes of the game. With only Capela available against the Jazz, that number was cut in half. That’s by no means a reflection of Capela’s fit with Sengun, though. In fact, the synergy between Capela and Sengun is more inherently obvious than it is between Sengun and Adams. Lob threat meets elite passer, lob threat gets to dunk the ball a lot. It’s a tale as old as time, and one that Capela has starred in a Houston production of once before. Capela and Sengun have started both preseason second quarters together and looked solid.
Capela isn’t the springy young center he once was, and his game resembles Adams’ more than at any prior point in their careers, but there are still significant distinctions. For one thing, Adams can function as a far more effective Sengun substitute for Houston’s offense. While Capela operates best as a pure roll man, Adams can replicate some of Sengun’s passing to act as a facilitator.
The Starting Situation
With two different flavors of double big to choose between, sooner or later, Udoka won’t be able to help himself. Naturally, the Rockets starting double bigs wouldn’t have been a consideration if it weren’t for the Fred VanVleet injury. But with VanVleet slated to miss the season, someone has to fill his spot. So far in the preseason, Reed Sheppard has been getting the nod. It’s preseason, so Udoka is happy to see how Sheppard performs, but the front office probably didn’t give him a choice either.
Sheppard has performed reasonably well so far. He’s averaging 9.0 points on 37.5% shooting from three. Unfortunately, he’s also averaging 2.0 assists on 2.5 turnovers, and a net rating of -2.5 as well. Of course, such stats over a two-game sample don’t mean much. Even if they did, Adams’ (one-game) net rating is surprisingly the worst on the team at -19.9. Nonetheless, long-term, the chances of Udoka sticking with a six-foot-two guard who can’t run an offense and gets lost on defense are slim to none.
Another Option
The far more likely alternative to a double big starting line-up is Dorian Finney-Smith. The six-foot-seven forward is skipping preseason but is tentatively expected to return for opening night. Finney-Smith is a Udoka kind of player. He plays defense, and he plays hard. He’s also 32, coming off of ankle surgery, and a very inconsistent shooter. He shot a spectacular 41.1% from three last year, but 34.8% the year before, and 33.7% the year before that.
Shooting is a concern for Houston in the double big construction, or at least it is for fans. Already in the preseason, Udoka has shown a willingness to go double big even with practical non-shooter Amen Thompson on the court. It’s not surprising, considering that’s how he chose to tackle the postseason last time around. Thompson is easily the Rockets’ third-best player. Any starting strategy the team employs has to incorporate him. Udoka doesn’t mind if the resulting strategy doesn’t yield a lot of quality three-pointers.
The Last Word
With Sengun and superstar Kevin Durant seemingly set for a very productive partnership, the Rockets have options. Those two together give the team an offensive floor they simply didn’t have last season, even if the team is missing a point guard. What fans may soon learn is whether Udoka sees double bigs as a desperation move or simply optimal basketball.
The Rockets’ offense last season was so dysfunctional that leaning fully into their offensive rebounding made sense. It remains to be seen just how functional it will be this year, but Durant tends to make things go smoother, even if his role is going to be a little funky. Would things have to go substantially sideways for Udoka to fall back on his old faithful? Or would he take any opportunity to make the team play more in his image? Either way, don’t be surprised if Christmas comes early for fans of the double bigs.
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