Rockets' young core proves a point that was already painfully obvious to their fans

The Houston Rockets didn't have Kevin Durant in their preseason premiere. It didn't make a difference because their young core was able to carry the day.

The starting lineup told the story. When the tip-off commenced, Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun were on the floor. They led the Rockets to a 122-113 victory over the new look Hawks.

Granted, this was a preseason game. The Hawks' best players mostly saw low-minute totals. Still, that doesn't change the fact:

The Rockets' young core looked even more promising than before.

Rockets get strong performances from young players

On a per-minute basis, their most productive player was Tari Eason. He had 10 points and 6 rebounds in just 11 minutes.

Eason played like he wanted his extension - now. That was a curse at times. Eason put up some errant shots early, but in the end, the results spoke for themselves. Eason does not need much time to rack up points and rebounds on an NBA floor.

Jabari Smith Jr. had a similar stat line in many more minutes, but the eye test confirmed his talents. He made a drive to the basket for an incredible dunk in the second quarter. Rockets fans aren't accustomed to seeing Smith Jr. put the ball on the floor.

Reed Sheppard was statistically mediocre, but he looked more aggressive and confident than he was as a rookie. All told, the Rockets got a lot of strong performances from their young core:

But one player stood above the rest.

Rockets' Alperen Sengun looks like a star

Unsurprisingly, that was Alperen Sengun.

He had 19 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks in just 17 minutes. When the game was in jeopardy down the stretch, Sengun was there to take the Rockets home.

Sengun's importance to the squad was particularly pronounced in Fred VanVleet's absence. The Rockets ran plenty of offense through Sengun in the high post. The results spoke for themselves, as Sengun threw several dazzling dimes.

He may be a primary playmaker for this team in 2025-26. It certainly looked viable last night:

Just imagine if Kevin Durant was in the picture.

Rockets ready to add legend to core

If Durant had suited up last night, the Rockets would have clearly separated themselves from a talented, playoff-bound Hawks team.

It's hard to glean valuable information from a preseason game. In this case, we can at least conclude that the Rockets looked strong, and they didn't even have their soon-to-be leading scorer.

Adding him to this young core should produce incredible results.