Witness veteran stars returning from injury and elite newcomers debuting in Macao as Houston tests a revamped rotation against conference rivals in a high-stakes preseason tip-off.
The Houston Rockets will kick off the preseason on October 9 in Macao, China against the Dallas Mavericks, followed by a second Mavs faceoff on October 11. The games will tip off at 7 a.m. and 5 a.m. CT, respectively. If you’re sacrificing sleep for preseason basketball, here’s what you’re waking up to see.
On the Rockets, we have two players working their way back from season-ending injuries. Most notably is Fred VanVleet, who sat out the entirety of last season with a torn right ACL sustained prior to the start of training camp.
VanVleet was certainly missed, even with Reed Sheppard stepping up and growing in a big way as the season progressed. Though I’m not so sure how much VanVleet will actually be on the court against the Mavs, I’m interested in seeing how his game evolves in his first season alongside Kevin Durant. Sheppard will also be one to watch as Houston begins working VanVleet back into a guard rotation that changed considerably in his absence.
Steven Adams will also be working his way back after suffering a season-ending ankle injury in January that ultimately required surgery. Houston certainly felt his absence on the glass, particularly after losing a player who had become such an important part of its rebounding attack.
How much we actually see of Adams or VanVleet in Macao is another question. There isn’t much reason to push either veteran during the first two preseason games following lengthy recoveries.
There will also be a brand-new face to watch on Houston’s side in Marcus Smart. Rockets fans should already be plenty familiar with what the former Defensive Player of the Year can bring after watching him cause problems for Houston during last season’s playoff series against the Lakers. Now he’s a Rocket, and the first two preseason games should give us an early look at how that same defensive intensity fits into Houston’s new-look guard rotation.
On the other side, Kyrie Irving is also working his way back from a torn left ACL sustained in March 2025. Whether he will be on the court against Houston, and for how long, is something we should have a better idea of following training camp later this month.
Cooper Flagg is another Mav worth keeping an eye on. The reigning Rookie of the Year already gave Houston a pretty memorable look at what he can do, dropping 34 points and 12 rebounds against the Rockets in January. We may not see anything close to a regular-season workload this early in preseason, but if Flagg takes the court, it’ll be our first look at the Year 2 version of one of the Mavericks’ biggest problems for Houston going forward.
In any case, I’d like to give a quick shoutout to the dedicated Rockets and Mavericks superfans who will be up at the crack of dawn to keep watch for the rest of Texas.
