The Houston Rockets are coming off a top-10 campaign in franchise history, but they have shown that they expect bigger things this year. The Rockets didn’t have a tremendous offseason, but they made a huge splash by “going to get” the highly desired Kevin Durant to fill their most considerable void — a go-to scorer and reliable shot-maker. They also did a nice job re-signing their veterans to team-friendly deals.
Houston, which was expected to see a jump last year as the Rockets’ young core had another chance to gel together, surprisingly finished second in the West with a 52-30 record. The 52 victories were the most by the Rockets since the 2017-18 season and the the 10th most of all time. The Rockets snapped a four-year playoff drought in the 2024-25 season. However, their streak of not winning a playoff series extended to five straight years as they were ousted in the first round of the playoffs in seven games by the veteran Golden State Warriors.
Rockets Training Camp: Four Players Reportedly Vying For Starting Power Forward Spot, Is There A Favorite?
Houston is 93-70 over the last two seasons under head coach Ime Udoka. A significant reason for the ‘Rockets’ improvement has been their prowess on the defensive end. Ranked 29th in defensive ranking in the season before Udoka’s arrival, the Rockets improved to ninth in year one and finished No. 4 last season.
Houston allowed 3.6 points fewer (109.6) in 2024-25 than they did the previous season. The Rockets showed slight improvement in several areas between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, including allowing their opponents to shoot six fewer free throws per game. On the defensive end, they notably improved in forcing turnovers, enhancing rim protection, and strengthening their 3-point defense. They were also much better on the boards.
Offensively, Houston struggled at times. The Rockets scored the same number of points (114.3) as they did in the previous season, but that was largely due to them shooting nearly 23 free throws per contest. They also were fantastic on the offensive boards, leading the NBA in second-chance opportunities and points. However, they were a bottom-third shooting team and the league’s worst free-throw shooting squad.
Offense was a problem for the Rockets against the Warriors in the 2024 playoffs. The Rockets and Warriors each averaged 104 points and shot relatively the same. But the Rockets were held under 100 points three times, tallying just 89 in the final game of the series. Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson were solid in their first playoff series, while Fred VanVleet had his moments. However, leading scorer Jalen Green struggled, averaging eight fewer points than during the regular season, as he shot just 37.2% from the field and 29.2% from deep.
Rockets 2025-26 Starting Lineup
While Houston has had a lot of young talent over the past few seasons, they haven’t had a go-to scorer. VanVleet provided the shooting,, but who was going to get the ball during crunch time: Green, Sengun, VanVleet,, or Jabari Smith Jr.? Now, it is known that Durant is the man, though Sengun has really stepped up his offense the past two seasons.
Houston will have a new starting lineup as the Rockets sent Green and Dillon Brooks to Phoenix for Durant. Leaving Durant to start alongside Thompson, Sengun, and VanVleet, per Ben DuBose of RocketsWire. So, who will be the fifth starter?
“It’s to be determined,” Udoka told Ben DuBose of RocketsWire at a September 11 community event the team hosted this week. “I do think Jabari (Smith Jr.) showed tremendous growth this offseason, and obviously, he started the majority of his time here before the injury. But we’ll take a look at everything. We feel we have incredible depth this year and a lot of versatility so that we could go a number of different ways, as far as that. I think some of that will be proven in training camp.”
Jabari Smith Jr.
Smith Jr. started at power forward for the first 39 games until he broke his hand. However, he was never able to regain the starting spot as Thompson took off.
Smith Jr. had a good season despite missing 25 games. The 22-year-old did struggle a little shooting the ball, though he did average 12.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 43.8/35.4/82.5. He produced eight double-doubles overall and had a few good playoff games.
Smith Jr. is an athletic forward who thrives around the rim, is a fantastic rebounde,r, and solid defender. He is very good within 16 feet and can stretch the floor with his shooting.
Smith has been a starter for most of his career, though he was actually more productive and efficient as a reserve last year. The Rockets were 25-14 this past season with Smith starting, compared to 26-16 with Thompson, with a +2.8 scoring margin. They are 13 games over .500 with him beginning over the last two seasons.
Steven Adams
Steven Adams served as Sengun’s primary backup. The 32-year-old, who who signed a three-year, $36 million contract this summer with the Rockets, is known as a rim protector and rebounder. He averaged 3.6 points, on 54.5% shooting from the field, and 5.2 rebounds in 14 minutes of action over 58 appearances last season with the Rockets.
However, Adams saw an increase in time during the playoffs. He and Sengun were also very good when paired together during the regular and postseason. So, that may be a reason that Udoka would be willing to start the two 7-footers together. Plus, Clint Capela has returned to the Rockets to take over the backup center position.
Dorian Finney-Smith
Dorian Finney-Smith was one of the three newcomers that the Rockets added this offseason, with Josh Okogie and Durant being the others. Finney-Smith is known for his athleticism, 3-point accumen and defense. He had his best season in recent years shooting the ball and averaged 8.7 points, 3.9 caroms, and two threes while shooting 44.8/41.1/66.7 in 63 appearances for Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Smith has been a starter for most of his career. But the 32-year-old forward came off the bench 23 times last year and 36 times in the previous two seasons. He has been about as equally productive when coming off the bench or starting.
Tari Eason
Tari Eason has come off the bench for much of his career. Eason is known for his defense and versatility, with the ability to guard everyone but point guards. He is an outstanding rebounder and active defender who has shown improvement on the offensive end over the past two seasons. However, he is at his best in the mid-range and closer and has been limited to just 69 contests the last two seasons.
Eason is coming off a career season with 12.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 57 games. The 24-year-old forward drained 1.1 threes and posted shooting splits of 48.7/34.2/76. He also produced six double-doubles last season.
The Last Word
Houston will enter the season as one of the favorites to win the tough Western Conference. For good reason, the Rockets are more talented and deeper than they have been in quite some time. But can the Rockets reach their goal? They have not been to the Western Conference since 2018, and the mid-1990s was the last time the Rockets reached the NBA Finals.
But back to the issue at hand. Udoka has a nice problem, and regardless of whoever starts, Smith, Eason, and Finney-Smith will see plenty of action. Meanwhile, Adams will likely not only compete for the starting power forward spot, but he will also likely compete with Capela for the Rockets’ backup center position. But if I had to guess, Smith Jr. and Eason have a slight edge to win the last starting spot, with Smith being the favorite.
Houston has 14 players on standard contracts and is only $1.25 million from being capped at the first apron. So, the Rockets roster is pretty much set. They also have all three of their two-way spots filled.
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