Former exec says the quiet part out loud about the Rockets' roster construction

As the Houston Rockets enter the 2025-26 NBA season, one of the major strengths of their team lies in the rotational versatility and depth they have provided for themselves through their collection of players in their frontcourt.

Yet, according to former NBA executive John Hollinger, in his comments on the recent episode of The Zach Lowe Show, the team might be too tilted toward sizable players, and, especially given Fred VanVleet's injury, this could cause serious issues as they attempt to make a run at a championship.

In many ways, this is the style of ball that the Rockets and head coach Ime Udoka prefer to play: top-heavy with the ability to dominate opposing teams physically. At the same time, however, this way of appraoching the rotation has caused spacing issues in the past, and it could limit the effectiveness of the offense yet again this season.

The Rockets may not have left enough room on the roster to address their biggest need

With their offseason acquisition of Kevin Durant, Houston jumped into the national spotlight as potential championship contenders, soaring off the back of their second-place finish in the Western Conference and seeming more than ready to repeat that performance with a rejuvenated offense.

Yet, as the offseason wore on after that, they then allocated their resources entirely to signing players who could play the four or five-spot. While Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela and Steven Adams were all solid signings on their own, each with their own individual functions for the team, they become somewhat confusing when taken as a collective.

According to Hollinger, his main concern with the Rockets' outlook this season centers around exactly that: "Does it not trouble you that 11 of the 15 roster spots are for fours and fives?... Everyone [on their team], their best position is at four. Other than Holiday and Sheppard and VanVleet, they have 11 guys whose best position is either four or five."

While Hollinger does not entirely characterize the sheer versatility of the Rockets' rotation correctly, he does have somewhat of a valid point. This team will live and die by its ability to scrap together a viable backcourt from its forward-centric roster.

Accordingly, Amen Thompson, whose natural position is at small forward, will likely need to take over the majority of the minutes at point guard for this team in VanVleet's absence, leaving major concerns as to the spacing of this offense even with Durant on its side.

Moreover, players such as Finney-Smith, Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. will likely be asked to take on more versatile, and more difficult, roles this season in order to account for the uncertainty surrounding the team's rotation, meaning their functions could be in flux as the season wears on.

Therefore, while Hollinger underestimates the switchability and varied skill-sets of the Rockets' collection of forwards, he highlights what could be a serious flaw in the team's roster construction: there are simply too many big guys.