Who to Watch for in the Houston Rockets’ Upcoming Training Camp

The Houston Rockets’ training camp for the upcoming season is expected to begin towards the end of this month. The sessions are expected to take place at the 75,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Memorial Hermann Houston Rockets Training Center. The team will focus on player conditioning while also evaluating the roster.

In terms of the conditioning factor, the training camp will be an important period for two veterans who are returning from severe injuries: Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet.

Steven Adams suffered a severe grade-three ankle sprain in January 2026. He then had successful surgery but was forced to miss the remainder of the season. His recovery is supposedly going well, and he is expected to partake in Houston’s training camp. If he does well in training, he will be ready for the start of the 2026-27 NBA regular season.

Before his injury, Adams played 32 games, helping Houston to a 21-11 record. Across the 32 games, he averaged 5.8 points and 8.6 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game. 4.5 of the 8.6 rebounds per game were on the offensive glass, proving that he is one of the most elite offensive rebounders in the entire NBA. Adams posted historic offensive rebound rates, as he constantly flirted with a 25% offensive rebounding percentage.

Fred VanVleet is also expected to be ready for the start of the upcoming season, but will have to prove his readiness in training camp. After missing the entire 2025-26 season due to a severe ACL tear, VanVleet is slated to be Houston’s starting point guard.

Both of these veterans were sorely missed last season, yet Houston still finished with a strong 52-30 record. Training camp will be a big step in making a return to playing for Houston.

Training camp will be even more important for the players on a two-way contract: Sean Pedulla, Quadir Copeland, and Rafael Castro. All three of these players have the potential to get opportunities in the NBA, but having a standout training camp performance can fast-track their path to doing so.

It will also be an important period for Bruce Thornton. The 31st overall draft had a few outstanding performances in the NBA Summer League. However, he has a long way to go before earning himself meaningful minutes under Ime Udoka’s player rotation. Having to prove himself, Houston’s upcoming training camp will be a new platform for the promising young rookie to display his overall talent and dedication.