{"id":146338,"date":"2025-06-23T10:38:59","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T14:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=146338"},"modified":"2025-06-23T10:38:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T14:38:59","slug":"sources-overlooked-rocket-makes-return-to-starting-five","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/06\/23\/sources-overlooked-rocket-makes-return-to-starting-five\/","title":{"rendered":"Sources: Overlooked Rocket Makes Return To Starting Five"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON<\/strong> \u2013 The Houston Rockets<\/a> acquired Kevin Durant<\/a> from the Phoenix Suns<\/a> for Jalen Green<\/a>, Dillon Brooks<\/a>, the 10th pick in this month’s draft, and five second-round picks. The blockbuster trade ended arguably the most high-profile saga of the 2024\u201325 season \u2014 and it happened on the very last day. With Durant, one of the top-15 players of all time, joining Houston, the most logical next question becomes: how does the team fit together? Well, sources are reporting that the team could insert a former darling into the starting lineup.<\/p>\n

Sources: Overlooked Rocket Makes Return to Starting Five<\/h2>\n

Rafael Stone’s Masterstroke<\/h3>\n

First things first: take a bow, Rafael Stone. When he became general manager in the 2020\u201321 season, the Rockets faced chaos. Their championship window had slammed shut after a bubble playoff loss to the Lakers<\/a>. Russell Westbrook<\/a> didn\u2019t fit the roster, and James Harden<\/a> was trying to force his way to Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

Five years later, Stone has repositioned the Rockets as contenders in the West. They\u2019ve kept most of their young talent and still hold a trove of draft picks. Now, they\u2019ve added a future Hall of Famer who just completed his third straight season averaging at least 25 points, 50% from the field, and 40% from deep \u2014 the longest such streak in NBA history, per ESPN Research.<\/p>\n

Houston gave up a high-volume, low-efficiency guard, a solid 3-and-D veteran, and a lottery pick. It feels like they landed Durant for 80 cents on the dollar. Age and injury risks surrounding the 36-year-old Durant lowered his market, and his past struggles with team chemistry didn\u2019t help. But the Rockets pulled it off.<\/p>\n

Sorting Out the Starting Five<\/h3>\n
\"Jabari
Mar 12, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) shoots the ball as Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Rockets have their man, but now they must sort out the starting lineup. Many in NBA circles pushed for this all-in move, believing Houston had too many rotation-level players.<\/p>\n

Team sources<\/a> say early signs point to Jabari Smith Jr.<\/a> returning to the starting five per Kelly Iko of the Athletic<\/em>. Amen Thompson<\/a>, who replaced Smith last season after a hand injury, will likely take Green\u2019s vacated spot. That gives the Rockets elite length at four positions and strengthens head coach Ime Udoka\u2019s defensive toolbox.<\/p>\n

VanVleet Likely to Stay<\/h3>\n

Momentum continues to build for Fred VanVleet<\/a> to return \u2014 either by the team picking up his $44.8 team option<\/a> or agreeing to a longer, more team-friendly deal. VanVleet led the Rockets with 5.6 assists per game last season and helped pull the franchise out of the Western Conference basement. He has thrived playing alongside Houston\u2019s young stars.<\/p>\n

Thompson and Smith Fit the Vision<\/h3>\n

Thompson has earned his spot as a starter after taking over midway through his sophomore season. His athleticism complements Durant\u2019s experience, especially on defense. On offense, he can cut, run in transition, and capitalize on Durant\u2019s gravitational pull.<\/p>\n

As Thompson matures as a playmaker, he will share point guard duties with VanVleet. Meanwhile, Smith offers the shooting this core needs. If he continues to grow as a floor spacer, he could be the final piece to the Rockets’ starting five. His development slowed this season following his hand injury. His development slowed this season following a hand injury. Then Thompson’s emergence made him a forgotten man. Now, he gets a second lease on life with the Rockets.<\/p>\n

What Comes Next<\/h3>\n

The Rockets now pair a generational scorer with a roster that\u2019s deep, young, and defensively imposing. How far they go may depend on their chemistry and health. But for now, with Durant in the fold, they\u2019ve firmly entered win-now territory \u2014 and done so without mortgaging the future.<\/p>\n

HOUSTON \u2013 The Houston Rockets acquired Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick in this month’s draft, and five second-round picks. The blockbuster trade ended arguably the most high-profile saga of the 2024\u201325 season \u2014 and it happened on the very last day. With Durant, one of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":146341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,31,3],"tags":[4703,50172,49820,69,1382],"class_list":["post-146338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-rockets","category-news","tag-amen-thompson","tag-fred-van-vleet","tag-jabari-smith-jr","tag-kevin-durant","tag-nba-trade"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146338"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146343,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146338\/revisions\/146343"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}