Boosted by the return of key veterans and a revamped frontcourt, a rejuvenated roster enters the 2026-2027 season with newfound confidence and a chip on their shoulder.
The Houston Rockets held Media Day and training camp for the 2026-2027 season earlier this week, giving us some long-awaited interviews and much needed NBA content. There was one very common theme across it all, though, with the whole team being locked in and on the same page. They’re all extremely confident in their capabilities, and more importantly, confident that this team will succeed.
It should go without saying, a lot of that comes with the return of Fred VanVleet and even Steven Adams. FVV said himself that, “this team was constructed to have me and Steven [Adams] on the floor,” which is completely true. There’s no two ways around it, the team was shorthanded and never filled either hole last season.
Thankfully VanVleet has been cleared for full contact 5-on-5 action and is expected to start the season healthy. That doesn’t mean he’ll be playing all 82 games, though, as he’ll only be suiting up for one leg of any back-to-back scenarios. I find this slightly concerning, as Houston has five of these outings before New Year’s Day.
I still personally think the veteran guard could be better suited coming off the bench, as discussed on Roundtable, but it’ll be great to have him back regardless. The same can’t quite be said for Steven Adams, as he has no official return date from his much more recent ankle surgery. Fortunately, there’s been no major setbacks, and he’s expected to come back healthy, we just don’t know when.
That’ll put a little more on the shoulders of Clint Capela early this year, which could be concerning after he got played off the court last postseason. He’s certainly ready for the challenge, as he’s reportedly gotten into better shape and hopes to have a larger impact on the game. Shedding about 4-percent of his body fat helped him get some of his athleticism back, saying, “I know what I can bring when I feel my best.”
Even if Capela is dunking and blocking more shots, I’m still intrigued by the idea of Jabari Smith Jr. getting more minutes at center too. Some of his main focuses this offseason were to, “obviously get stronger, get better at playing lower, get better at taking bumps,” indicating that he could be on the perimeter a bit less.
While I’ve previously discussed my concerns with his training here on Roundtable, I do like this idea. There’s plenty of guards in Houston now, so a player like Smith Jr. needs to use his versatility to plug other holes in the roster. We could even see some Oscar Tshiebwe minutes there if he stays on the team.
There's much more that came from these past few days with the team coming back together, so make sure to stay tuned for more articles here on Roundtable. In the meantime, check out some of the other recent posts from our site.
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