The Rockets are heading into the 2026 preseason with a setup that leaves very little room for mystery. Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet are the expected starters on opening night against the Dallas Mavericks, barring an injury between now and then. Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason, Steven Adams and Marcus Smart are lined up as the first group off the bench, with Bogdan Bogdanovic, Clint Capela, Jae’Sean Tate and Bruce Thornton next in the mix.
When that much of the rotation already feels settled, the preseason loses most of its usual drama. The Rockets also kept their coaching staff largely intact, aside from adding development coach Chip Engelland, and the roster is mostly the same too, with VanVleet returning from injury and Smart and Thornton joining the group.
That’s part of why Houston is rolling with only three preseason games, one of just three teams scheduled to do that. Most teams will play four or five, and one team has six on the calendar. The Rockets are making it clear where their priorities are: more practice, more scrimmage work, and less unnecessary wear before a season that matters.
The first two preseason games, both against the Mavericks in Macao on Friday and Sunday, are as much about the stage as the basketball. Dallas will head back home for two more exhibition games, while Houston chose to stop at one additional preseason contest, against Oklahoma City at Toyota Center next week.
So what’s actually worth watching?
VanVleet’s return is the biggest one. He’ll be on an NBA floor for the first time since the 2025 playoffs, and the obvious warning applies: don’t get carried away by anything you see from a player who is still less than 13 months removed from a serious knee injury.
Thompson and Sengun will also offer an early look at the work they’ve done with Engelland. That’s worth noting, but not overvaluing. A couple of preseason shots won’t tell the full story, and real growth doesn’t happen in a handful of days.
Thornton will be another name to track. He’s the first Rockets draft pick since 2024, and these games will give him his first chance to show how he looks against actual NBA competition.
There’s also a roster battle to keep an eye on. Isiah Crawford is on a non-guaranteed contract, and the two-way players will be trying to prove they can stick.
Beyond that, the message is pretty simple: enjoy the return of Rockets basketball, but don’t read too much into what happens over the next few days. Unless somebody gets hurt, the preseason won’t change much.
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The bigger issue is how all of that comes together once the stakes rise and the supporting cast has to do more than just flash in spurts. Stone has been clear that the organization is trying to build in a way that fits its current personnel, but the real test will be whether the Rockets can keep enough balance around Durant to make a deep playoff run. For now, the optimism is easy to understand. The hard part is still figuring out how far this group can go when the season starts to ask more of everyone around its biggest name. [Read more 🡒]
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For the Rockets, the delicate part is figuring out how to balance long-term caution with what Durant still brings every night. His role and minutes are going to matter all season, especially with a player of his stature and mileage, and the team now has to sort through how to preserve him without stripping away the rhythm that has defined so much of his game. [Read more 🡒]
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Westbrooks exit also leaves open the broader conversation around his place in the game and whether this is truly the final chapter. Zach Randolph suggested Westbrook might still find a way back, and the emotions around the announcement showed how much respect he still commands from former teammates and peers. For Houston fans who watched Durants career unfold from afar and now know how closely these stars have been tied together, it was another reminder of how quickly the league can turn a familiar face into a memory. [Read more 🡒]