Over the last two seasons, depth has become a key factor in the Houston Rockets’ rise to success. With plenty of fresh legs from recent draft picks, the Rockets have had a consistently deep rotation that has contributed to their elite play, particularly on the defensive end.

This year, the rotation will be spearheaded by Kevin Durant. Although Houston will likely be without Fred VanVleet for the entire 2025-26 season, the team is still incredibly deep on both sides of the ball.

Despite the Durant trade being the highlight of the offseason, the Rockets didn’t give up too much of their future to acquire him. The main pieces of the trade were Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the Phoenix Suns’ 2025 first-round pick (Khaman Maluach). Houston gave up a relatively small piece of the core for a big-time scorer.

The 37-year-old’s supporting cast will feature the same young names that propelled Houston into relevance last season. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps ranked Houston’s young trio of Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard in the fourth of 10 tiers.

The other Tier 4 teams were the San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks. Durant was not included in the trio due to not having signed a contract extension yet.

“The No. 4 pick in the 2023 NBA draft continues to blossom into a star and has a chance to take another massive leap forward this season due to the unfortunate torn ACL for Fred VanVleet last month during preseason workouts,” Bontemps wrote.

“Although I’m sure you’re thinking, ‘No Kevin Durant? Really?’ remember the purpose of this list. Durant remains — at least for now — without a contract extension, and Sheppard could be the team’s starting point guard this season and remains a key player for Houston long term.”

Sengun made his first All-Star appearance last season, and Thompson has the chance to do so this year if he continues to develop into a star. Sheppard, on the other hand, has some proving to do to be legitimately included in the trio.

The No. 3 pick of the 2024 NBA Draft received minimal opportunities last season, averaging just 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 12.6 minutes per game. He put up those numbers on underwhelming efficiency, but he didn’t have too many chances to succeed as Houston rose to prominence.

Now, Sheppard will be expected to develop into a key rotation player with VanVleet out. In college, he showcased a lot of the strengths that VanVleet has displayed in his time with the Rockets, which gives hope that they’ll be just fine and remain in title contention with the 31-year-old.