The Houston Rockets Revealed Their Starting Lineup On Opening Night. And It's Massive.
Oct 21, 2025
The Houston Rockets can count themselves among the most highly anticipated squads in the 2025–26 season, and for good reason. Their roster is brimming with talent, their head coach is a cerebral tactician, and their top star is one of the greatest scorers of all time.
Care to know their starting lineup for opening night? Hint: It’s a huge lineup.
According to Rockets beat reporter Vanessa Richardson, head coach Ime Udoka has decided to go with 6-foot-7 Amen Thompson and four starters who measure 6-foot-11: Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Steven Adams, and Alperen Sengun.
Does that make Durant the shooting guard of this colossal starting five? The answer is yes, and in 2025, the two-time NBA champion remains an absolute matchup nightmare for the rest of the competition.
Several years ago, Durant played for a Golden State Warriors squad that revolutionized the small ball concept and popularized a fast-paced, motion-based offense that led to plenty of threes. Now, KD is set to anchor a lineup that will unashamedly reinforce the notion that height is still might in the sport of basketball.
Tactically, the Rockets’ enormous lineup can potentially offset the smash-mouth defensive intensity of the Oklahoma City Thunder, their opponents on opening night. By getting stops and controlling both rebounding and pace, Houston has a chance to mitigate the deadly transition attack that OKC thrived on during their championship run last season.
There are other teams in the NBA that will struggle with this Rockets five, but it won’t take long for opposing coaches to poke holes in this “Jurassic Park” approach. Big bodies can only go so far on transition defense, and even in the half-court, athletically gifted ball handlers can find ways to use their speed to their advantage against that lineup.
How will this unique starting five fare against the defending champions, and will Udoka be using this lineup weeks or months from now? Whatever the case may be, fans will be in for a treat on Tuesday night as reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contends with Durant and his big buddies.
