The 2026-2027 NBA season tipped off early this year with the Boston Celtics visiting the Detroit Pistons while most people were still at work. Thankfully, the Houston Rockets have a bit more time to get prepared, and will be playing at a much more standard time. 

With their season opener starting at 7:30 central time on Wednesday, October 21st, there’s a little bit more leeway with them getting their roster in order. Obviously the guys at the top are set in stone, as is everyone with a standard contract. 

Even Jae’Sean Tate and Isaiah Crawford should’ve felt confident that they’d stick around, despite having non-guaranteed contracts. The only changes they would have possibly happened were with two-way players, and that’s exactly what we got. 

As a six-foot tall guard whose primary skillset is his outside shot, his archetype seemed to be a bit redundant for the Rockets’ backcourt. They already have Fred VanVleet, Reed Sheppard, and Bruce Thornton, who all do similar things at similar sizes. 

Houston terminating Pedulla’s two-way deal shows a level of confidence in the guards on their current roster, which is great to see. It leads to me to believe FVV will be healthy, and the other two will be along for the foreseeable future. That move also opened up another spot for Houston to sign more players. 

He might be most well-known for taking the game-ball when Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 64 points against the Indiana Pacers, but there’s much more to him than that. He actually fills a vital role for this team, and could find himself playing important minutes in Houston. 

Despite being undersized as a 6’8” center, his 255-pound frame more than helps him throw people around in the paint. His 7’4” wingspan is even more helpful, as he used both of those to his advantage to be a dominant rebounder. Something that can come in handy if Steven Adams and Clint Capela are out of the lineup. 

At 6’6” with a 6’11” wingspan, he has great measurables to be the prototype 3&D wing. Arguably the position where Houston needs the most help, considering the backups are currently other two-way players and non-guaranteed contracts. 

He has just as good of a chance at getting in the game as Jae’Sean Tate, Isaiah Crawford, or Quadir Copeland. The front office is clearly more fond of him, compared to the others players who recently got waived. 

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