The Rockets signed another No. 1 pick to continue to strengthen, and the reason why Westbrook is not allowed is also exposed

In the offseason in 2025, the Rockets' management operated quite properly. After a series of operations, the Rockets' strength increased greatly. In particular, Durant joins, allowing them to jump directly into strong contenders for the championship. But the Rockets' pace of strengthening has not stopped, and they signed another training camp contract with the No. 17-year pick. If he performs well, he will have a chance to stay on the team. At the same time, the reason why Westbrook, who was nostalgic for fans, was also exposed. The Rockets are strong and will definitely have the ability to cause storms next season.

1, let’s talk about the highly anticipated schedule first. In the full schedule of the 2025-2026 season officially announced by the NBA, the Rockets' exposure is full.

has a total of 28 live broadcasts in the United States, which is tied for fifth in the league with the Timberwolves, and 15 of them are even exclusive national broadcasts. The Rockets challenged the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. This strong dialogue was scheduled to be broadcast live by NBC TV on October 21, which is undoubtedly a focus battle in the new season. On Christmas Eve, the Rockets will go away again and have a fierce confrontation with the Los Angeles Lakers. Such a schedule not only increases the team's exposure, but also means that the league has highly recognized the Rockets' strength in the new season.

This offseason, a series of operations that the Rockets team's management, which made the team's strength achieve a qualitative leap. The most eye-catching thing is Kevin Durant, who averaged 26.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game last season, with a shooting percentage of 52.7% and a three-point shooting percentage of 43%. His arrival gave the Rockets instantly a nuclear weapon on the offensive end. With Durant, the Rockets' scoring ability at critical moments has been greatly guaranteed. His rich playoff experience and strong psychological qualities can also provide stable support for the team in the intense and intense playoffs.

2, another No. 1 pick joined in the Rockets' luxurious lineup, which is Markle Fultz, the No. 1 pick in 2017.

Fultz is 25 years old, 1.93 meters tall and weighs 88.5 kg. In the past, he was troubled by injuries. In the 2024-2025 season, he traveled to many teams, had limited opportunities to play, and his average data was not impressive, with only 2.9 points and 1 rebound. But his talent and potential cannot be ignored. He has excellent athletic ability, skilled ball control skills, sharp breakthroughs, and a very good passing vision.

For the Rockets, signing Fultz on a training camp contract is a low-risk and high-reward attempt. Currently, the Rockets are relatively weak in No. 1 position. Fultz's ball-handling and organizational ability can share organizational pressure for the team on the bench and enrich the team's tactical choices. Moreover, he is young and has a lot of room for growth. If he can regain his form with the Rockets, it will be a big surprise for the team. Fultz can use his breakthrough ability to tear open the opponent's defense line and create more scoring opportunities for his teammates. He can also use his physical fitness and awareness to cause trouble for his opponent's back line on the defensive end.

3, after talking about Fultz, I had to explore in depth why the Rockets did not sign Westbrook.

Westbrook is a player with great personality and strength. He has excellent impact and explosive power. He has played amazing triple-double data many times, which is the passionate responsibility on the court. In the 2024-2025 season, Westbrook represented the Nuggets in 75 regular season games, averaging 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.4 steals. His shooting percentage was 44.9%, his three-point shooting percentage was 32.3%, and his free throw shooting percentage was 66.1%. In the playoffs, Westbrook played 13 games, averaging 24 minutes per game, scoring 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists, with shooting percentages of 39.1%, 31.7%, and 70% respectively in the three events.

But judging from the current lineup and tactical system of the Rockets, Westbrook's style does not match the team. The Rockets now focus on team basketball, emphasizing defense and sharing of balls, with a smooth offensive rhythm, and paying attention to the cooperation and tactical running between players. Westbrook's style of play is relatively more towards personal offense, with a high ball possession rate, and his game style is more radical, which sometimes affects the team's overall tactical execution. In addition, Westbrook's physical playing style consumes a lot of energy. As he gets older, the hidden dangers of injury gradually increase, which may affect his attendance rate and competitive state in the game. Moreover, his salary requirements are not low, which is also a factor that needs to be carefully considered for the Rockets, which has limited salary space. Based on these factors, the Rockets ultimately did not choose to sign Westbrook.

4, from the strength of the players and lineup depth of each position, the Rockets are luxurious and will definitely compete for the championship next season.

point guard has Van Vleet to control the rhythm. He averaged 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists last season, has rich experience and stable three-pointers. He can calmly sort out the team's offense in the game and hit key shots at critical moments. He is the team's backcourt. Amen Thompson is gradually growing in the position of the point guard. He has excellent physical fitness and active defense, which can bring vitality to the team. He averaged 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last season. With the accumulation of game experience and improvement of his skills, he is expected to become an important firepower point for the team's offense.

Small forward Durant is the team's ace. His scoring ability is second to none in the league and is the core of the team's offense. Whether it is mid-range shooting or three-point shooting, he has an extremely high shooting percentage and can also threaten his opponents with his height and wingspan on the defensive end. Power forward Jabbarri Smith averaged 12.2 points and 7 rebounds per game, and was able to work inside and outside, and cooperated with Shin Kyung's inside line. His space ability and ability to defend multiple positions are perfectly complementary to Durant..

center positions include Shin Kyung, Capela and Adams, and their inner iron gates, frame protection and rebounding abilities are excellent. Shin Jing averaged 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists last season, with excellent offensive skills and support skills; Capela is a top rebounder and basket protector; Adams can also play an important role in the pick-and-roll and defensive ends.

There are also strong players such as Finney Smith and Ethan on the bench, and the lineup is very deep. Finney Smith has accurate three-pointers and tough defense; Ethan has excellent athleticism and defensive awareness, and they can maintain competitiveness for the team while the main players are resting. Such a powerful lineup has also greatly increased the probability of the Rockets winning the championship in the new season. Among the strength list and the probability of championship competition in many US media, the Rockets entered the top five, and some media even ranked their championship odds second, second only to the defending champion Thunder. Judging from the team's lineup configuration and tactical system, the Rockets have the strength to win the championship.

They have a strong inside advantage, and the inside combination of Shin Kyung, Capela and Adams has the upper hand in rebounding and inside defense, and can limit the opponent's inside score. There are super scorers like Durant, as well as players such as Van Vleet and Amen Thompson who have scoring and organizational abilities, and their offensive methods are rich and diverse. The team's defensive system is becoming increasingly mature under the guidance of coach Uduka. The players have high defensive enthusiasm and strong team's defensive awareness.

Of course, the Rockets are not without challenges. The physical fitness management of veterans such as Durant is crucial. In the long regular season and fierce playoffs, how to reasonably arrange their playing time and maintain their physical fitness and competitive state is a problem that the coaching staff needs to solve. The injury status of the main players may also affect the team's record. Once a core player is injured, the team's strength and tactical execution will be affected. Moreover, the team needs to further strengthen its outside shooting. In addition to Durant and Finney Smith, the three-point efficiency of other players still needs to be improved, which may become the team's shortcomings when facing opponents' targeted defense in the playoffs.

But overall, the Rockets are full of hope for the 2025-2026 season. They have strength, lineup depth, and a No. 1 pick and potential stock waiting to explode. In the new season, let us look forward to the Rockets' wonderful performance on the field to see if they can overcome all obstacles and finally win the championship trophy.