Marcus Smart gave Toyota Center a little show before the real work even started Thursday night.
Ahead of the Houston Rockets’ preseason matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Smart hit a wild trick shot that instantly turned heads. The question afterward almost writes itself: “What play is that called in the Rockets' playbook?”
Once the game got going, Houston handled business anyway, rolling past Oklahoma City 116-89 after returning home from a two-game preseason set against the Dallas Mavericks in China that ended in a split.
The Rockets rolled out a starting group of Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun, a lineup that has plenty of people expecting big things in the Western Conference.
Smart, one of Houston’s notable new faces alongside Bogdan Bogdanovic, Oscar Tshiebwe, and Bruce Thornton, came off the bench and logged 12 minutes. He finished with two rebounds, two assists, and one steal, while missing all three of his shots.
Maybe he should have shot one backwards.
Houston’s front office has clearly leaned into continuity, and Smart’s role looks straightforward: bring defense, energy, and toughness second unit. Paired with Thompson, he gives the Rockets a disruptive backcourt look that could cause plenty of problems for opposing guards.
The 32-year-old signed a two-year, $12.4 million deal with Houston in free agency, a move that caught plenty of people off guard because he was expected to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers. Instead, Smart said he felt disrespected by the Lakers for not offering him a good deal.
Now he’s in Houston, reunited with Ime Udoka, who coached him with the Boston Celtics, and his presence should carry weight in the locker room as well as on the defensive end.
In Other News...
Reggie Miller Sees A Rockets Threat The West Can't Ignore
Across the Western Conference, the arms race has already started, with teams loading up in hopes of keeping pace with the leagues established powers. Minnesota, the Lakers and Denver have all made eye-catching additions, but Houston is drawing its own attention because of the way its roster has been built and the way the conversation around it has shifted heading into the new season.
Reggie Miller, looking at the Rockets young core, sees a group that is getting harder to dismiss. He pointed to Fred VanVleet returning healthy and Marcus Smart as the kinds of additions that change Houstons outlook, and his broader message was simple enough for the rest of the West to hear: this is a team that could make things uncomfortable. The Rockets open their 2026-27 season against the Mavericks on October 21, and it already feels like a night that will tell part of the story. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets May Face One Costly Decision In Kyrie Irving Pursuit
The Rockets keep projecting as one of the more intriguing teams on the rise for 2026-27, with Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Fred VanVleet and Reed Sheppard forming a core that already gives Houston real ambition. Thats why any conversation about an upgrade at point guard gets attention, especially when the name in play is Kyrie Irving, a star talent who would change the shape of the roster if the opportunity ever materialized.
CBS Sports Sam Quinn has pointed out that Houston could be among the teams to watch if the Irving situation opens up, but the cost is where things get complicated. The sort of deal being discussed would require real roster sacrifice, and the Rockets may not be eager to part with one of their most promising young guards if they believe he belongs in the next wave of the rebuild. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Durant Gives The Rockets A Real Chance To Change Everything
Kevin Durant arrives in Houston with the kind of scoring resume that changes the conversation before the season even tips off. One of the most gifted shot makers the league has ever seen, Durant still gives the Rockets a true offensive centerpiece, and his presence immediately raises the ceiling for a club trying to climb back into serious contention. Even with his age and mileage, the draw remains the same: when the game tightens, he can create points in ways almost nobody else can.
The Rockets also have tried to give him a better fit around the edges, leaning into defense and athleticism to make sure his scoring is part of a bigger formula. Durants job, at least on paper, should stay familiar - carry the offense, bend defenses and make life easier for everyone else. The open question is whether the rest of the roster can finally supply enough support to turn all that production into the kind of playoff run that has so often slipped away. [Read more 🡒]