Houston Rockets 2025-26 Predictions: Double Bigs By Christmas

Preseason Double Bigs So Far

Against the Atlanta Hawks, with both Capela and Adams available, Udoka played double bigs for about 11 minutes of the game. With only Capela available against the Jazz, that number was cut in half. That’s by no means a reflection of Capela’s fit with Sengun, though. In fact, the synergy between Capela and Sengun is more inherently obvious than it is between Sengun and Adams. Lob threat meets elite passer, lob threat gets to dunk the ball a lot. It’s a tale as old as time, and one that Capela has starred in a Houston production of once before. Capela and Sengun have started both preseason second quarters together and looked solid.

Capela isn’t the springy young center he once was, and his game resembles Adams’ more than at any prior point in their careers, but there are still significant distinctions. For one thing, Adams can function as a far more effective Sengun substitute for Houston’s offense. While Capela operates best as a pure roll man, Adams can replicate some of Sengun’s passing to act as a facilitator.

The Starting Situation

With two different flavors of double big to choose between, sooner or later, Udoka won’t be able to help himself. Naturally, the Rockets starting double bigs wouldn’t have been a consideration if it weren’t for the Fred VanVleet injury. But with VanVleet slated to miss the season, someone has to fill his spot. So far in the preseason, Reed Sheppard has been getting the nod. It’s preseason, so Udoka is happy to see how Sheppard performs, but the front office probably didn’t give him a choice either.

Sheppard has performed reasonably well so far. He’s averaging 9.0 points on 37.5% shooting from three. Unfortunately, he’s also averaging 2.0 assists on 2.5 turnovers, and a net rating of -2.5 as well. Of course, such stats over a two-game sample don’t mean much. Even if they did, Adams’ (one-game) net rating is surprisingly the worst on the team at -19.9. Nonetheless, long-term, the chances of Udoka sticking with a six-foot-two guard who can’t run an offense and gets lost on defense are slim to none.

Another Option

The far more likely alternative to a double big starting line-up is Dorian Finney-Smith. The six-foot-seven forward is skipping preseason but is tentatively expected to return for opening night. Finney-Smith is a Udoka kind of player. He plays defense, and he plays hard. He’s also 32, coming off of ankle surgery, and a very inconsistent shooter. He shot a spectacular 41.1% from three last year, but 34.8% the year before, and 33.7% the year before that.

Shooting is a concern for Houston in the double big construction, or at least it is for fans. Already in the preseason, Udoka has shown a willingness to go double big even with practical non-shooter Amen Thompson on the court. It’s not surprising, considering that’s how he chose to tackle the postseason last time around. Thompson is easily the Rockets’ third-best player. Any starting strategy the team employs has to incorporate him. Udoka doesn’t mind if the resulting strategy doesn’t yield a lot of quality three-pointers.

The Last Word

With Sengun and superstar Kevin Durant seemingly set for a very productive partnership, the Rockets have options. Those two together give the team an offensive floor they simply didn’t have last season, even if the team is missing a point guard. What fans may soon learn is whether Udoka sees double bigs as a desperation move or simply optimal basketball.