The Houston Rockets kick off the 2025–26 NBA season on Tuesday with a fresh roster and big expectations. They will travel to Oklahoma City to challenge the reigning champs at Paycom Center.
This will be a battle between two teams that had a dream run during the regular season last year. The Rockets finished second overall in the conference, successfully clinching their division. At the same time, the Thunder were placed first and ultimately won the NBA title by defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games.
What Historic Milestone Will the Rockets Achieve on Opening Night?
While the Rocket fans eagerly await Kevin Durant’s return to the court on opening night against the Thunder, a seasoned NBA insider says the franchise is set to achieve a historic milestone in the league.
In his latest social media post on X, Rob Perez revealed an interesting fact: the Denver Nuggets’ starting five during the Bubble scrimmage in 2020 was the tallest recorded starting lineup in NBA history.
As per his report, the Rockets’ head coach, Ime Udoka, has announced the starting lineup for the Rockets against the Thunder. On opening night, the five players will start the game against the reigning NBA champs: Amen Thompson, Alperen Şengün, Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. and Steven Adams.
🔥 Houston Rockets, NBA’de yeni sezonun ilk maçına şu beşle çıkacak:
▪️Amen Thompson
▪️Kevin Durant
▪️Jabari Smith Jr
▪️Alperen Şengün
▪️Steven AdamsFizik.
(via @SportsVanessa) pic.twitter.com/lzkOIx7uQT
— Eurohoops Türkiye (@EurohoopsTR) October 21, 2025
This Rockets lineup is set to beat the Nuggets’ record of the tallest lineup from the 2020 bubble scrimmage by one inch. Durant, Şengün, Adams and Smith Jr. are 6’11” tall while Thompson is 6’7″, which cumulatively takes their average height one inch more than the Nuggets’ starting five from 2020, which included Nikola Jokic, Bol Bol, Jerami Grant, Paul Millsap and Mason Plumlee.
How Would Kevin Durant’s Extension Impact the Rockets’ Future?
The Rockets’ front office executives boldly moved by signing the star power forward three days before opening night to a two-year contract extension worth $90 million. With this, Durant has surpassed LeBron James in total earnings in league history.
🚨 Contrato recorde na NBA: Kevin Durant fechou uma extensão de 2 anos por US$ 90 milhões com o Houston Rockets e se tornou o jogador mais bem pago da história da liga, ultrapassando LeBron James em ganhos totais. pic.twitter.com/E6T3skDSJg
— Felipe Mendonça (@felipemendonca) October 21, 2025
Durant’s contract extension clearly indicates what the Rockets envision for the NBA’s future seasons. The team wants to contend consistently for the Western Conference title and is currently all set to take on the Thunder to kick-start their journey in the new season on a positive note.
