The Houston Rockets’ preseason opener against the Atlanta Hawks is just one day away. Unfortunately, said opener will be marred by injuries—some short-term, some long-term. However, even missing key personnel, this Rockets team has a varied and talented roster that fans are itching to see in action. The Rockets’ stars have had a whole offseason to work on their games. What signs should fans be looking out for to tell them more about the season to come?
The Signs To Look Out For In Rockets’ Preseason Opener
Sengun Continuing his EuroBasket Form
Rockets 2024-25 All-Star, Alperen Sengun, put on quite the performance at EuroBasket this summer. What was most impressive to see was how he embraced being the playmaking hub for his team. He led the Turkish national team in assists by a good margin. Fans shouldn’t expect to see Sengun as quite so extreme a focal point in the NBA this season. But it might not be as far off as the Rockets had originally envisioned.
The injury to Fred VanVleet blows up the pick-and-roll game the Rockets relied on for most of last season. Sengun’s production didn’t notably spike during VanVleet’s absence last year. That was partly because the team leaned on the young, since-departed legs of Jalen Green. How Sengun operates without a true point guard for potentially an entire season will say a lot about how Houston’s campaign will go. Granted, the first preseason game will only reveal so much. The Rockets are likely to spend the beginning of the regular season experimenting with different approaches. The first glimpse still tends to leave a lasting impression.
Durant Fitting Right In
Kevin Durant doesn’t need a point guard. It is true that the Phoenix Suns’ recent experimentation with point-KD didn’t exactly cover anyone in glory. But at least the Rockets won’t be asking him to play center at the same time. Watching KD in preseason won’t really be about seeing whether he fits in. He will. Durant could complement just about any offense imaginable. He’s still long and agile enough to fit in with any defense as well.
What will be interesting to see is just how much the Rockets rely on him. The team had been envisioning a reduced role for him. In the wake of the VanVleet injury, that might not be realistic anymore.
Thompson’s Continued Growth
Another player whose role is going to be affected by the VanVleet injury is defensive defenestrator Amen Thompson. Against his defense, all hope of scoring goes out the window. That alone virtually guarantees him a long NBA career. His potential as a star hinges on his offensive growth. Last season, he improved his drive and floater game admirably. The three-point shooting still looked a long way off (27.5%). Will another offseason have gotten him any closer to league average in that regard?
What the Rockets really need from Thompson, though, is ball handling. Asking for him to seamlessly fill in as the primary facilitator is probably a little much. The Rockets will inevitably employ a strategy of ball handling by committee this season. The results won’t always be pretty. The Rockets may go from one of the stingiest turnover teams in the league last season to one of the highest this season. VanVleet was never an elite playmaker by any means. But he was the very definition of a safe pair of hands. Frankly, sometimes a little too safe. The Rockets will have to be more adventurous with their offense in 2025-26. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Thompson isn’t going to become a heliocentric superstar overnight. That probably won’t be in his future, no matter how many nights you give him. But the league is moving away from that style of play anyway. The common belief has become that it’s simply too easy to defend over a seven-game series. The challenge to that premise will come from the likes of Luka Doncic, not a born slasher like Thompson. Thompson doesn’t even project as a primary initiator. How much the Rockets feel the need to try him in that role will be interesting to see, even in a preseason game.
Who Will Be the Fifth Starter?
Jabari Smith Jr. has been confirmed in the starting lineup alongside Houston’s three stars. The final starter hasn’t been decided on yet. It’s likely that in preseason, sophomore Reed Sheppard will audition for the role. Sheppard’s rookie year and even recent Summer League performance left a lot to be desired. He might not be any more of a long-term point guard option than Thompson.
What the Rockets are hoping for is that he’ll figure out the shooting part of shooting guard. In college, he shot 52.1% from three. In his first NBA season, he shot just 33.8%. The Rockets won’t ask Sheppard to run the offense. Whether he’s able to stick in the opening lineup will come down to providing legitimate spacing and looking less lost on defense.
The Last Word
Houston basketball fans have waited long enough to see this promising team in action. That they may never get to see it at full strength is a disappointment they’ll be contending with all season. For a couple of nights at least, the preseason debut and opening night, it won’t matter. They’ll be too busy enjoying having basketball back. And if that’s not quite enough to keep their minds occupied, then they can always obsess over these Rockets preseason signs as well.
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