Houston Rockets Face Early Season Challenges After Durant Acquisition

The Houston Rockets kicked off their 2025-26 NBA season with a thrilling double-overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning champions, highlighted by a strong individual performance from Alperen Sengun and the debut of star acquisition Kevin Durant. Despite winning the rebounding battle and improving free throw shooting, the Rockets struggled with ball handling and turnovers, exacerbated by the season-ending ACL injury to their leader Fred VanVleet. Head coach Ime Udoka faces the challenge of managing rotations and maximizing the contributions of players like Josh Okogie, who could play a significant bench role given the team's depleted backcourt depth. Durant's arrival has raised expectations for a championship, but concerns about the Rockets' ball-handling and offensive flow persist, especially with Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard stepping up in VanVleet's absence. The Rockets' jumbo lineup showed promise, controlling boards and scoring efficiently, but defensive mismatches and late-game execution issues, including Durant's limited ball access due to strong opposing defense, contributed to the loss. Overall, the Rockets are a team on the rise with potential but must address their turnover problems and find consistent offensive cohesion to fulfill their championship aspirations.