While the Houston Rockets [https://roundtable.io/sports/nba/rockets] only had three preseason games this year, it still resulted in some entertaining basketball. Aside from that, it also showed us what we can expect in the 2026-2027 NBA season. From player rotations to areas that still need improving, we gained some valuable insights in the past week. CENTER BY COMMITTEE As predicted on Roundtable [https://roundtable.io/sports/nba/rockets/news/the-houston-rockets-are-ready-to-shock-the-basketball-world], Jabari Smith Jr. got a substantial amount of minutes at the center position. At 6’11, that shouldn’t surprise anyone. It should come as even less of a surprise after Houston went without signing any other big men in the offseason, nor did they cut ties with Clint Capela or Steven Adams. Both of the aforementioned big men got minutes in the preseason too, as Adams was the first off the bench last Friday. Unfortunately he won’t be playing in back-to-back scenarios. He also missed the next two games, though it was just as a precaution. Clint Capela didn’t play in the first game, but got the start with Adams and Şengün out on Sunday. It is worth mentioning that he was a -8 in both of his outings, which is slightly concerning with Adams guaranteed to miss time for injury management. Thankfully Alperen Şengün looks ready to go, posting an easy triple-double in the one NBA China Game he participated in. His three point shooting is still a concern and can limit this team moving forward. DEFENSE IN THE BACKCOURT On the opposite end of the spectrum, we also got a great look at Houston’s guards. Since I already discussed their improved shooting on Roundtable [https://roundtable.io/sports/nba/rockets/players/the-houston-rockets-have-improved-their-three-point-shooting], I’d like to go over the new advantages this team has on the defensive end. Fred VanVleet had his preseason debut early on, playing in the first game overseas. Marcus Smart missed that one, as covered on Roundtable [https://roundtable.io/sports/nba/rockets/news/the-rockets-could-have-another-dorian-finney-smith-this-season], but they both dove on the court for loose balls in their one game apiece in China. That’s something we didn’t get much of last season. Of course Amen Thompson was still their playing All-NBA level defense, and even Reed Sheppard and Aaron Holiday can be scrappy, it’s just not the same. Marcus Smart is a former Defensive Player of the Year. We just saw him giving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander troubles, helping the Rockets embarrass the OKC Thunder [https://roundtable.io/sports/nba/thunder], as covered on Roundtable [https://roundtable.io/sports/nba/rockets/news/the-rockets-could-have-another-dorian-finney-smith-this-season]. Fred VanVleet is no slouch himself, as his scoring alone isn’t what made him an All-Star. CONCLUSION: The Rockets have done a great job at filling holes at each end of the spectrum, in terms of positions. While both VanVleet and Adams will have to miss back-to-backs, there’s still plenty of depth to help out along the way.
