Houston’s revamped depth clashes with Los Angeles’s elite backcourt star power. After a disappointing playoff exit, can the Rockets prove their worth against the Lakers?
The 2026 NBA Playoffs ended in great disappointment for the Houston Rockets. Their first round matchup seemed like a blessing at first, but things took a complete 180 as they saw themselves go down 0-3 in quick fashion.
Battling back to push it to a more respectable six game series is nice, but it was still against the Los Angeles Lakers without Luka Dončić. While Kevin Durant missed a majority of the series, so did Austin Reaves, who then came off the bench and was clearly hampered.
It’s hard to take much away from that series, but even looking at their back to back in March, the Lakers definitely looked like the better team. So are the “Snow-Time” Lakers still better than the Rockets heading into next season?
Rockets Depth Chart:
PG — Amen Thompson, Fred VanVleet, Bruce Thornton, JD Davison (non-guaranteed)
SG — Reed Sheppard, Marcus Smart, Bogdan Bogdanovic
SF — Kevin Durant, Tari Eason
PF — Jabari Smith Jr.
C — Alperen Şengün, Steven Adams, Clint Capela
Lakers Depth Chart:
PG — Luka Dončić, Jaden Hardy, Bronny James
SG — Austin Reaves, Collin Sexton, Dalton Knecht
SF — Quentin Grimes, Jake LaRavia, Adou Thiero
PF — Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jarred Vanderbilt
C — Walker Kessler
With each franchise making trades on Friday, they now a couple of roster spots left open. Most notably a backup big man for the Lakers and another 3&D wing for the Rockets.
As of now though, I’d definitely give the Lakers backcourt the upper hand. It helps that they have an MVP caliber and All-Star caliber poster starting at each guard position, despite neither of them earning those achievements yet.
I believe Sexton and Grimes should fit into their reserve roles well, although I have seen some indications that Grimes would start at small forward. The Rockets still have much bigger questions in those roles.
Much like most of last season, Houston’s starting lineup isn't clear yet for the upcoming year, as discussed on Roundtable.
While I like the young talent and depth of the Rockets backcourt, the youth is still mostly unproven. The depth is already depleted by VanVleet’s uncertainty, plus Bogdanovic and Smart aren’t exactly pillars of health.
Definite win for the Lakers, although they have to deal with All-NBA defenders, so it won’t be easy on them. Looking at the frontcourt, the Rockets appear to be much better off.
Despite Walker Kessler being paid like an All-Star, he’s still relatively unproven in this league, largely due to his injury history. $130 million over four years is a lot for someone dealing with the same shoulder issues since high school.
I’ll take Alperen Şengün and the veterans over him any day of the week. Houston’s guys have proved their worth in this league.
It feels disrespectful to even take the time to explain why Kevin Durant is better than all of the Lakers’ forwards combined, and I’m almost willing to say the same about Jabari Smith Jr. too.
With overall depth and chemistry, I’m willing to bet the Rockets are a better team coming into the season. Even with health concerns and rotation uncertainty, I just don’t see where the Lakers can hold up defensively. Who’s guarding Kevin Durant?
