Expert: The Rockets are the biggest threat to the Thunder s title defense. Various reinforcements are significantly enriched by & the lineup has been improved

July 1st ESPN expert Kevin Pelton wrote an article about the Rockets' recent operations, which he believes is the biggest threat to the Thunder's title defense. The Rockets traded Kevin Durant at the beginning of the offseason, signed free agent Finney Smith, and welcomed Capela back, which was reminiscent of the summer of 2017. That year, the Rockets got Chris Paul through the trade and signed PJ Tucker using the non-tax middle class exception, an experienced 3D player. Tucker eventually became the starter, helping the Rockets win 65 games and fighting defending champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals seven games.

Fenney Smith's joining fills the vacancy left by the Rockets' defensive champion Dillon Brooks due to the Durant trade. According to statistics, Brooks' half-court defense is often center and point guard, while Finney Smith is more suitable for defending the forward.

The Rockets can relied on Amen Thompson, who was selected for the best defensive team, to supplement Finney Smith's defensive ability, who proved himself to be one of the best outside defenders in the NBA last season.

On the offensive end, Finney Smith is more suitable to partner with Durant than Brooks. The Rockets' starting lineup already has four players who can create shots (Durant, Amen, All-Star Center Shin Kyung and point guard Van Vreet), and what they need is space to pull away from the fifth position. Finney Smith has shot 38% from three-pointers in the past six seasons, and has reached 41% last season. Although Brooks hit a career-high 40% of his 3-point shooting percentage in the 2024-25 season, his average career-wide 3-point shooting percentage was only 35.5%.

Currently, the Rockets have a solid seven-man rotation, including Jabarri Smith Jr. (signing a five-year rookie contract extension on Sunday local time) and Tari Ethan. In addition, the team has center Adams, who played a major role in the playoff double tower roster, as well as Whitmore (to be determined) and Shepard. The Rockets also plan to re-sign free agents such as Jeff Green, Aaron Holiday and Jayshaun Tate.

The Rockets did not sacrifice the team's lineup depth while obtaining Durant through trades to improve the team's star strength. The Rockets are fully capable of dealing with games that Durant may miss in the regular season and keep winning.

As long as the Thunder stays healthy, as the defending champions, they are certainly the favorites to win the championship again. However, the Rockets will be the biggest threat on the Thunder's road to defending their title.