Rockets Unleash the Sheppard-Durant Lineup Against Atlanta
Underdog NBA confirmed the starting five of Sheppard, Thompson, Durant, Smith Jr., and Sengun.
The are officially handing the keys to the kids, while keeping a 37-year-old in the passenger seat to make sure nobody crashes the car.
According to Underdog NBA, is rolling out a starting five of , , , , and for Saturday's matchup against the .
Seeing listed next to a bunch of guys who probably grew up watching his Thunder highlight tapes on a first-generation iPad is objectively hilarious. But from a basketball perspective, this is exactly the kind of chaotic, high-upside experiment you want from a modern NBA team.
is getting the nod at point guard after a sophomore campaign where he averaged 13.4 points and 1.5 steals over 82 games. He is sharing the backcourt with , a guy who literally led the entire league in minutes played last season. That is a defensive backcourt with enough combined kinetic energy to power a small city block.
For anyone staring at their fantasy apps or trying to figure out player props, this lineup shift is a massive green light. ’s usage is about to spike, and having operating out of the post with spacing the floor is a mathematical nightmare for 's defensive rotations.
is sitting at 1-1 after bouncing back with a 114-110 win over the San Antonio Spurs. They are clearly trying to figure out the perfect alchemy of youth development and veteran star power, and this starting five feels like their most potent mix yet.
We will see how this specific group meshes when they tip off against the Hawks on Saturday night. If starts throwing lobs to while casually drops his usual numbers, the rest of the Western Conference might need to start paying very close attention.