Even after a relatively quiet offseason, the Houston Rockets still enter next season with a decidedly different-looking roster.
The returns of Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams along with the additions of Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic make the 2026-27 Rockets a deeper and more versatile squad than last year’s edition. Coach Ime Udoka has a variety of options to turn to depending on what Houston needs and whom the opponent plays. Here are some of the most interesting combinations the Rockets can roll out.
Unless otherwise stated, lineup data is from DataBallr and adjusts for 3-point luck by 50% (half-weighting real shooting percentages during those minutes and half weighting the league average to account for variance).
Forwards Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. along with center Alperen Sengün would likely team with Fred VanVleet and Amen Thompson as Houston’s starting five.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Likely starters
VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant, Alperen Şengün
Signs point to VanVleet being ready to start for Houston from the jump. The veteran point guard will be about a year removed from his torn ACL and meniscus when the Rockets begin training camp.
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His return should make life easier for Durant and Şengün, who made unassisted shots at some of the highest rates for their respective positions last season. VanVleet has also been elite at surpressing his team’s turnovers. The 2024-25 Rockets saw their turnover rate drop by 2.5 percentage points with VanVleet on the court compared to off it.
VanVleet also gives the Rockets another strong floor spacer as a career 37.1% 3-point shooter on heavy volume. He did drop to 34.5% in the 2024-25 season but much of that came to relative inefficiency on pull-up opportunities.
Having Alperen Sengün and Steven Adams back together as double bigs opens the options for the Rockets.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Double bigs
Şengün, Adams
The Rockets basically stopped playing Şengün along with another center after Adams went down, with Udoka saying he didn’t like the look as much with backup center Clint Capela.
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With Şengün and Adams on the court across the past two seasons, Houston has annihilated opponents, outscoring them by 14.5 points per 100 possessions, per DataBallr. The Rockets have done so with an absurdly high 43.8% offensive rebounding rate and stingy defense.
Udoka could go in a few directions with the remaining spots in this lineup, which ideally would add shooting, ballhandling or both. Reed Sheppard, Smith and Durant are all strong floor-spacers, which should give the two big men the space needed to attack inside. Adams’ rim defense should also help insulate Sheppard as he works to improve as a defender.
Worth noting — last season, Udoka often deployed Şengün and Adams alongside a third non-shooter in Amen Thompson. The lineup still worked pretty well, as offensive rebounding dominance overpowered spacing issues.
Marcus Smart was often matched against players like Kevin Durant so he adds to Houston’s defensive options.
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Terror trio
Smart, Thompson, Tari Eason
Two seasons ago, Eason and Thompson came off the bench and emerged into the “Terror Twins” — harassing opposing ballhandlers and crashing in for a bevy of offensive rebounds. That partnership gets even more potent with Smart, another hard-nosed defender, in the mix.
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Last season’s Los Angeles Lakers allowed about seven fewer points per 100 possessions with Smart on the floor compared to off it, per Cleaning the Glass. His teams have forced more turnovers with him on the floor in each of his 12 seasons. He should offer Udoka another impactful defender at multiple positions — Smart can defend bigger players, logging substantial time marking players like Durant, Trey Murphy III and Kawhi Leonard last season.
The trio could use a strong shooter and a center to fill out the lineup. The defensive talent on the perimeter should make either Adams or Şengün viable inside. Udoka could either play Smart and Thompson at the guard positions and go for a player like Durant, Bogdanovic or Smith Jr., or go guard-heavy with Sheppard or VanVleet.
Bogan Bogdanvoic teamed up well with Nikola Jokic on Serbia’s national team. He could offer similar help to Houston’s Alperen Sengün, who plays a style akin to Jokic’s.
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A European union
Şengün and Bogdanovic
While they aren’t the same caliber of player and it is unfair to both parties to compare them, there are some similarities between the playstyles of Şengün and Nikola Jokic — both are methodical attackers who use footwork, touch and passing vision to generate offense.
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Bogdanovic knows the Denver Nuggets center and three-time MVP well. The two are friends after starring for Serbia’s national team. Bogdanovic’s experience partnering with Jokic could help him find success alongside Şengün, who needs to improve his efficiency after a down season. Even if that partnership doesn’t translate over to Şengün, having another floor-spacer should help the big man either attack single coverage or pick apart double teams.