The Rockets may have found a formula that gives Victor Wembanyama problems.
Houston handled Wembanyama well in the first matchup of the season, and there’s a real chance that wasn’t a one-off. The Rockets have the kind of ingredients that can make life miserable for him: a center willing to attack him over and over, plenty of size, and enough physical bodies to drag him into a long series of heavy contact.
Alperen Sengun is a big part of that equation, but he’s not the only one. Amen Thompson gives Houston another counter, using elite athleticism and skill to challenge Wembanyama’s strengths. Both of Houston’s young stars have the power and fearlessness to finish through his contests, and both can bother him on the other end too.
Then there’s Kevin Durant, who brings a completely different problem. Durant has spent his career burying contested shots over defenders who are all over him, and that’s the sort of shot-making Houston can lean on if it ends up needing answers in a playoff series. Wembanyama is unlike anybody Durant has faced, but KD should be ready to rise up over him if the Rockets are chasing a championship run.
The depth behind those three gives Houston even more options. Steven Adams and Clint Capela can each be deployed as physical, experienced bodies to lean on Wembanyama for short stretches. Even limited minutes can matter there, especially if they can make him work on the glass and use positioning to punish him on the boards.
That flexibility matters because this feels like a different kind of Rockets season. Houston is no longer simply the young team that gets credit for showing up in the playoffs. The expectation now is bigger: win a series, make noise, and do it before Durant’s window as a star closes.
Thompson and Sengun both look ready to push the Rockets up a level, and the front office has added veteran support that should give this roster answers against different kinds of opponents. That matters in a Western Conference that features the Spurs and the Thunder as the consensus top two teams.
If Houston wants real title hopes, it has to be built to handle either of them. Right now, the roster looks especially suited to dealing with Wembanyama - the kind of matchup that could let the Rockets spring an upset if they meet the Spurs in the playoffs.
The Knicks showed that approach can work. Houston has its own version of it.
In Other News...
Alperen Sengun Is Giving The Rockets Another Weapon Early
The Rockets kept their unbeaten start rolling with a win over the Hawks, and Alperen Sengun again looked like a player who can expand Houstons offensive options beyond the obvious. With Fred VanVleet resting, Sengun handled a heavier playmaking load and finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, giving the Rockets another creator to lean on while Kevin Durant paced the team with 22 points.
Houston now gets a quick chance to see whether this early rhythm travels, because the Rockets and Hawks meet again in Atlanta on Monday. The first meeting offered a useful snapshot of how much balance the Rockets can find when Sengun is involved as both scorer and facilitator, and that versatility could matter even more if the rematch turns into another halfcourt grind. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Look Built For A West Race Fans Should Watch
The Southwest Division has already started to feel like a pressure point in the West, and Houston is right in the middle of that conversation. Between the Rockets offseason changes and the wider shuffle around the division, there is a real sense that the standings could get crowded quickly, with every team trying to sort out roles, depth and identity before the race tightens.
For Houston, the intrigue is less about one headline move than the bigger picture of how the roster fits together under Ime Udoka. The Rockets spent the offseason trying to reshape themselves for a more competitive climb, and the return of key veterans only adds to the expectation that this group can hang with the leagues better teams if the pieces mesh as intended. Nobody around the team is pretending the path will be simple, but this is the kind of roster puzzle that can make the West worth following night after night. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Frontcourt Just Got Thinner With Steven Adams Sidelined Again
Steven Adams will miss at least one more game for Houston as the veteran center continues to work through a right soleus strain, according to the teams injury report. The setback comes after Adams already sat out the season opener with calf soreness and has been eased in with limited minutes since, leaving the Rockets to keep adjusting their frontcourt rotation early in the season.
Ime Udoka is expected to offer a more detailed update before Monday nights game against the Hawks, which should give a better sense of where Adams stands in the recovery process. For a team that has been careful managing his workload, the next timeline matters, because Houston has not had many chances to build continuity with its interior depth intact. [Read more 🡒]