ghysports

By: Gordon Yancey/ghysports

The Houston Rockets had an incredible season last year with the emergence of first time all-star, Alperen Sengun, and the leap of Amen Thompson. They made their first playoffs since the James Harden era. This off-season, the Houston Rockets made a massive move by trading the first draft pick of their rebuild in Jalen Green, and the defensive menace who helped shape the current culture in Dillon Brooks, for the 15x all-star, Kevin Durant. After a long summer of waiting around for KD to take the floor in Rockets red, the night is finally here. Kevin Durant will take the floor tonight against the Atlanta Hawks at 7:00 PM Central Time.

There are many things to look forward to tonight besides just KD. Amen Thompson seems to have taken ANOTHER leap forward this summer. He trained at the NBPA’s Performance Summit which took place at the Sanctuary which is located in Andalucía, Spain. Sengun trained all summer in Turkey, and played in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers where he lead Turkey to the Championship game.

All of the players on the team seem to have taken another leap forward this off-season, but someone who really needs to take one this season is Reed Sheppard. On September 22, 2025 during a team practice in the Bahamas, the Houston Rockets starting point guard, Fred VanVleet tore his ACL. Since the Rockets signed Fred back in 2023, he has been a focal point to the teams development and presence. According to head coach, Ime Udoka, Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson will have the ball in their hands more to make up for missing Fred VanVleet. I am a huge believer in Reed, and his abilities to help run the team, and I am intrigued to see how he handles the added pressure!

Get ready for tonight’s game, and don’t forget to rep your Rockets red!