Later this month, the Houston Rockets will open training camp, and the backcourt is expected to come into focus with a familiar pecking order. With the roster back at full strength, the shooting guard spot looks set, at least to start the season, and the names near the top of the depth chart are easy to identify.
Amen Thompson sits at the front of that group. The Rockets made him the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and the 23-year-old has already pushed himself into the conversation as one of the franchise’s cornerstones. Earlier this month, Thompson locked in a five-year, $208 million rookie extension with Houston, a clear sign of how the team views his place in the future.
His production last season backed that up. Thompson put up 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.5 steals across 79 games, and he also landed in the top 10 of Defensive Player of the Year voting for the second straight year. Even with his ability to fill multiple roles, the Rockets’ projected alignment should make the shooting guard decision straightforward for head coach Ime Udoka, with Fred VanVleet expected back as the starting point guard and Kevin Durant occupying small forward.
Reed Sheppard is next in line. Houston took him with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and his role expanded significantly after VanVleet went down with a season-ending injury in 2025. With VanVleet and Thompson projected to stay in the starting lineup to open the year, Sheppard is likely to remain in a backup guard role.
Sheppard’s numbers from last season show why the Rockets will want to keep finding him floor time. He averaged 13.5 points while shooting 43% from the field over 82 games, and the 22-year-old finished in the top 10 for Sixth Man of the Year voting. Based on how he moved from his rookie season to his sophomore year, Udoka may need to carve out minutes to keep Sheppard developing, especially with Marcus Smart also expected to fill a similar defense-first role that could eat into the guard rotation.
Bogdan Bogdanovic rounds out the group as a veteran depth piece. He signed a one-year, $3.9 million deal with Houston this summer after the Los Angeles Clippers declined his $16 million option, setting up what could be a defining season for the Serbia native.
Bogdanovic averaged 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 23 games last season. His role has shrunk in recent years, but the Rockets are bringing him in for low-risk bench support and veteran presence.
In Other News...
Amen Thompson Just Entered A Contract Fight Rockets Fans Should Watch
Jalen Durens next deal has turned into a cautionary tale for teams trying to lock up young big men before the market gets away from them. The Pistons have put a five-year offer on the table worth around $190 million, but Duren is reportedly looking for at least $200 million, and talks have slowed enough that the gap is starting to matter. For Rockets fans, the connection is obvious: Houstons own Amen Thompson signed a five-year, $208 million extension, and that number is already echoing through a negotiation far from Toyota Center.
Duren is even weighing a qualifying offer route that would let him hit unrestricted free agency next summer, a risky but real leverage play if he decides the long-term money is worth the wait. The Sacramento Kings are said to have interest, which only raises the stakes for Detroit and adds another reminder that one Rockets contract can ripple beyond Houston in a hurry. Even if the sides eventually bridge the gap, Thompsons deal has become part of the argument, and that alone says plenty about how quickly the bar is rising. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Pauls Latest Move Will Hit Home For Rockets Fans
Chris Paul is making his latest move off the floor, teaming up with Genius Sports on a new athlete-led sports media venture built around programming from Paul and other players. The idea is to use technology and data to deepen storytelling and bring fans closer to the game, a pitch that fits a veteran who has spent years thinking about how the sport is presented as much as how it is played.
For Rockets fans, the name still carries real weight because of what Paul brought to Houston in 2017-18, when the partnership with James Harden came within reach of something bigger. His new project adds another layer to a career that has stretched well beyond the box score, and it now points toward a fresh platform where athletes help shape the conversation instead of only reacting to it. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Are Building Real Buzz Around A Season Houston Will Feel
On the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the Rockets, the Houston Comets and Toyota Center staff spent part of the day honoring first responders by visiting police and fire stations with gifts and tickets. It was a reminder that the organizations presence in Houston goes well beyond the court, and it came with General Manager Rafael Stone, coach Ime Udoka and several players all speaking publicly about the meaning of the day and the season thats about to begin.
Theres a real sense of forward motion around the team now, with media day, training camp and preseason games all coming up in quick succession. Houston also plans to support the 9/11 Heroes Run, another sign that the club wants this month to feel bigger than basketball, even as attention starts shifting to the roster, the new season and the questions that still hang over how everything will fit together. [Read more 🡒]