Rockets Roll Out 2K-Style Starting Five Against Timberwolves
Fans on social media compared the Kevin Durant addition to a video game trade finder lineup.
The Houston Rockets are rolling out a starting five on Wednesday that looks like it was generated by a teenager mashing the force-trade button in NBA 2K.
Underdog NBA confirmed the official lineup: Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun will take the floor against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Seeing Durant in a Houston jersey still feels like a simulation error, but the sheer length of this group is a legitimate problem for the rest of the league.
The real miracle here is VanVleet. After early reports suggested a brutal injury could wipe out his entire 2025-26 campaign, he is somehow back and dealing. He recently handed out 11 assists with zero turnovers, which is exactly the kind of adult-in-the-room stability you need when you have this much raw talent sharing one basketball.
Houston is suddenly looking like a buzzsaw at home. They just suffocated the Boston Celtics 109-93 and ran the Oklahoma City Thunder out of the gym 119-98.
If you are staring at the prop boards, Durant is sitting with a projection around 20 points tonight. With Sengun drawing attention in the paint and VanVleet setting the table, Durant is getting the kind of clean looks that usually require a premium subscription.
Minnesota gets the next crack at solving this puzzle on Wednesday night. If this starting five stays intact, the Rockets are going to turn the Western Conference standings into an absolute mess.