Rockets take off, in the 25-26 season, the Rockets will strive for the championship

The Houston Rockets completed 13 transactions in just 20 days, spending $340 million, and jumped from a playoff edge team to a favorite for the championship. The most shocking operation was to exchange five second round picks from Jaylen Green and Dillon Brooks for 37-year-old Kevin Durant - this super scorer who averaged 26.6 points and 43% of three-point shooting percentage, completely filling the Rockets' shortcomings in key ball abilities. Durant's franchise declaration, "two rings are far from enough", directly ignited Houston's ambition to compete for the championship.

Rockets

1. Lineup upgrade: From the Youth Army to the Championship Fleet, the Rockets' new lineup has both talent and experience:

The starting five tigers (Van Vleet + Amen Thompson + Durant + Smith Jr. + Shen Jing) have a balanced offense and defense, with an average height of 2.04 meters, forming a mobile Great Wall.

Five Tigers

Subsidy Deep Horror: Adams + Capela + Ethan dominate the penalty area, Finney Smith + Tate provides defensive resilience, Uduka can even play the "Death Five Front Line" and replace the defense unlimitedly.

Substitute lineup

Salary bets: 194.5 million total salary triggers luxury tax, 122 million contract renewal of Smith in five years, and the championship window is locked in the next two years.

2. Championship capital: Defensive iron wall + Durant breaks the deadlock

Defensive efficiency top three in the league, Amen Thompson, Ethan and Holiday build a "blue-collar meat grinder".

Durant's key ball ability makes up for the scoring drought last season and forms a three-dimensional offensive system with Shen Jing's high-level support.

Defense for a first round

3. Hidden worries and challenges

Durant's health risks: 36 years old + history of serious injury, doubtful attendance.

Run-in problem: 10 new players need to quickly establish chemical reactions, and the competition in the West is fierce (Nuggets, Thunder, and Mavericks are eyeing each other).

Durant

IV. Uduka's tactical revolution

Traditional twin towers (Shenjing + Adams) restrain Jokic and Embiid.

The five small blitz (Durant played center) accelerated by 12%.

Muscle Wall (Adams + Capela) crushes the opponent with a second attack. The Rockets' 340 million bet in the new season makes them the second-largest championship team on paper, but Durant's health, lineup running-in, and competition in the Western Conference are all huge challenges. If successful, the team history will be rewritten; if failure, the future may be overdrawn. The Rockets in the new season will break through the waves in glory and risk.