Get to know your 2025-2026 Houston Rockets NBA team

Last year’s squad was a surprising top seed in the Western Conference. After shaking up their roster, the 2025-2026 Houston Rockets are a title contender.

Members of the Houston Rockets were watching the NBA Finals from home (or perhaps from an exotic location, given that having a whole summer off is a perfect opportunity for travel) when an interesting development unfolded. The day of Game 7 of the NBA Finals, a winner-take-all game for the championship, the team announced a major move: It had traded for Kevin Durant. Suddenly, the 2025-2026 Houston Rockets became a title contender.

Of course, Durant is no longer in his prime. He’ll be 37 by the start of the season, and he’s looked a step slower the past two years. But he fills a need for a young Houston team coming off an impressive season, winning 52 games and earning the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, the Rockets lacked a reliable scorer, and Durant can still get buckets with the best of them.

With a new player in tow, here’s how the Rockets’ lineup is shaping up for the 2025-2026 season.

The starting five for the 2025-2026 Houston Rockets

The starting five looked set, but then point guard Fred VanVleet tore his ACL and will miss the entire season. VanVleet signed with the Rockets in 2023 and brought an NBA championship and All-Star experience to the backcourt, but now, the Rockets will need to turn to their backup guards to shoulder the load.

Amen Thompson, SG

Amen Thompson and his twin brother, Ausar, were selected fourth and fifth in the 2023 NBA Draft. Both brothers have been critical additions to their respective teams, helping the Rockets and Detroit Pistons return to the postseason. Thompson increased his field goal and three-point percentage and minutes, points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks per game last year. He’s on track for a third-year leap, as well.

And how’s this for a fun fact? Both Amen and Ausar share the same middle name: XLNC, pronounced “excellence.” Rockets fans are hoping to see plenty of XLNC on the court.

Kevin Durant, SF

The Rockets will be the fifth stop for Kevin Durant in his career. It’s his first time calling the Lone Star State home since he played his single college season with the Texas Longhorns way back in 2006-07. Durant’s list of career accolades would take as long to go through as one of the “Harry Potter” films. The highlights include that he’s a two-time champion, one-time MVP, 15-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, and a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team that selected the top 76 (thanks to a voting tie) players in NBA history.

Phew, that’s a lot! Durant comes off a fairly disappointing stint in Phoenix, but he should fit in much better with this Rockets lineup. Expect to see a lot of clutch moments from him down the stretch, and his elite shooting ability will be a net positive for a team that struggled to score at times last season.

Jabari Smith Jr., PF

Jabari Smith’s dad also made it to the NBA, but in three seasons, the younger Smith has already doubled the number of games played. Even though he’s averaged at least 30 minutes a game each season, it seems he hasn’t fully unlocked his potential as a player.

Smith spent some time coming off the bench last year, though he should return as a full-time starter for the 2025-2026 campaign. With a new-look lineup and a bit more breathing room at power forward, this could be a breakout year.

Alperen Şengün, C

Alperen Şengün is one of just 15 Turkish players in NBA history, and he’s arguably shaping up to be the most prolific. He began his professional career playing in Turkiye before the Rockets selected him in the 2021 NBA Draft. After mostly coming off the bench in his rookie season, he’s been a regular starter ever since.

This year, Şengün will look to build on a season that featured career-highs in games played and rebounds per game, as well as his first All-Star appearance. He also showcased some solid three-point shooting during last year’s playoffs. If he can extend that over an entire season, it’ll be a big boost for the team.

Aaron Holiday/Reed Sheppard, PG

After VanVleet’s injury, this is the question mark in the Rockets’ lineup. Aaron Holiday is an NBA journeyman who’s only played spot minutes for much of his career. Reed Sheppard, the third pick of the 2024 draft, had a shaky rookie season, but he’ll get more action this year, especially now that VanVleet is sidelined. The Rockets may also opt to go more forward-heavy with their starting lineup, using a mix of Thompson and Durant to begin the offense and someone like Tari Eason or Dorian-Finney Smith to create a very tall lineup, with every player being at least 6’7”.

Who’s coming off the bench?

The Rockets traded quite a few players to obtain Durant—a record total of seven teams got involved—so the bench is a mix of younger guys who will have an extended role and veterans the team has brought in.

Tari Eason will be the top returning bench player. He averaged career-highs in field goal percentage and points, and even saw action as a starter in 16 games as he became a steady shooter from the corner. Newcomer Dorian Finney-Smith will also provide a scoring punch off the bench. The Rockets could use both players in more “position-less” lineups alongside Durant and Thompson.

New Zealander Steven Adams returns as a backup center; he has perhaps the coolest first-career three-pointer among any NBA player ever. Jeff Green is still here, too, entering his 16th NBA season despite undergoing open-heart surgery in 2012. Green holds an NBA record for having the most teammates in a career. To date, he’s teamed up with 266 different players.

The head coach

Ime Udoka is entering his third season as the Rockets’ head coach, and fourth as a head coach overall. Last year was his best regular-season performance, as the Rockets finished with a 52-30 record. Although he’s relatively new as the head honcho, Udoka has significant coaching experience thanks to seven seasons under Gregg Popovich as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. Popovich is generally regarded as among the best to ever coach, so he’s a good guy to learn from.

As a player, Udoka played professionally for 12 seasons, including a mix of overseas teams and five NBA squads. Of his 316 games, 160 were as a member of the Spurs. He certainly has a fondness for the Lone Star State!

The Rockets were a pleasant surprise last year. This season, they should build on that progress and be in the mix for a deep playoff run.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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