Defense has been optional in the Houston Rockets first two pre-season games, and that was no exception on Wednesday night, as the Rockets and Utah Jazz both shot well over 50-percent from the floor. However, the Rockets continued their dominance on the offensive boards with 19 and made 16 more free-throws than the Jazz, which ultimately led to a 140-127 win for the home team.
Alright, we all know why you’re here though. Kevin Durant made his preseason debut for the Rockets and as expected he was awesome. KD dropped in 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including 1-for-2 from three-point range, and was a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. In only 23 minutes played, it’s obvious Kevin Durant is still that dude. He did turn the ball over three times in contrast to his one assist; however, we can chalk that up to maybe a little rust and him still building chemistry with his new teammates.
Some of Durant’s new teammates were really impressive as well. Alperen Sengun scored 13 points to match his 13 assists, to go along with 5 rebounds and 4 steals in 27 minutes played. Most importantly he only had one turnover, as it appears in the absence of Fred VanVleet, Alpi will be doing a lot of the distribution as the offense runs through him.
Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson scored 18 and 19 points respectively. Amen Thompson added six assists with only one turnover as well. Ball security is going to be the name of the game for Amen as he finds himself also handling the ball a lot more in the absence of VanVleet and for Jabari it will be knocking down open shots, and he did that going 3-of-5 from the three-point line, going 7-for-11 overall.
The Rockets started Reed Sheppard at Point Guard for the second game in a row and he played well. 11 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds on 4-of-7 shooting including 2-of-4 from the arc. He only turned the ball over twice, but I’m sure his coach would prefer he clean that up as Reed is best positioned to replace Fred VanVleet in the starting lineup if he can continue improving his game with good decision making and being aggressive on the offensive end.
All in all, the Rockets have a long way to go before they are “regular season ready”, but they have looked good offensively for the most part. Defensively they have given up far too many good looks from the three-point line. The Jazz shot 44-percent from three-point range in this game, far from looking like the stelar three-point defenders they were last season. The good news is all those things are fixable, and we can trust head coach Ime Udoka will do just that.
Looking at the fringe of the roster, I am very impressed by JD Davison after two pre-season games. Just 8 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds on the night on 3-of-7 shooting in 17 minutes but, he was a +17 on the floor and even got some run with the other starters. In two games played averaging 18 minutes per game, he has only turned the ball over once. I like his overall game and if he can knock down open shots consistently it’s going to be hard for Ime to keep him off the floor.
It’s always good to see the Rockets on the big side of the scoreboard, even in the pre-season. The Rockets will not play again until October 14th, when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans on the road before heading to Atlanta for the final pre-season game of 2025. You know as always, we will have all the coverage you need right here on TDS! Go Rockets!