Houston Rockets: Strong Start to Season will be Crucial

The Houston Rockets have officially been made a contender this offseason, inking old and new players to contracts, as well as adding superstar Kevin Durant to the fold.

The team is led by one of the best young cores in the league in Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and more, has a plethora of veterans in Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams and Dorian Finney-Smith ready to insert themselves, and Durant to put the scoring bow on everything. All that’s left is to prove themselves on the hardwood.

Getting off to a fast start will be crucial for Houston, who has a little more ground to make up in the chemistry department than most. The Oklahoma City Thunder, specifically, bring back their entire championship core, meaning they have a small leg up in that department.

Additionally, while winning early-season games isn’t quite as flashy as getting them down the stretch, they can be just as crucial to the standings. And Houston finishing within the top-three alongside OKC and Denver will likely be a must if they want to go deep into the postseason.

With the NBA’s schedule release days ago, we can evaluate game-by-game how Houston’s season could start.

The Rockets open their season with a ring-night matchup against the Thunder, which could very well be one of their hardest matchups of the season. Fresh off a title, OKC will be energized to start their season with a bang after receiving their rings.

Houston then moves on to Detroit in Game 2, which will offer another test. The Pistons were one of last season’s most improved teams, and stand to see more internal development than most.

Even splitting their first two games would likely be a small win out the gate.

Luckily for Houston, their third game is the Brooklyn Nets, who are likely to be the worst team in the league next season. Anything can happen in the NBA, but its hard not to pencil in a win for the Rockets there.

After Brooklyn will be a trio of tough, albeit more than winnable games against Toronto, Boston and Dallas. All three offer rosters that could be solid in theory, but are less good on-paper than Houston. The Celtics and Mavericks will be without various stars due to injuries, and the Raptors are still very much in the early stages of East ascension. Winning at least two of the three should offer the Rockets some cushion in the early slate.

All in all, the Rockets have some tough opening games to start their 2025-26 campaign, but should be positioned to get off to a hot start in a gauntlet Western Conference.