Steven Adams presents one major roadblock for Rockets' championship hopes

As the Houston Rockets enter the 2025-26 NBA season, their championship hopes do not just rest on their new superstar acquisition, Kevin Durant; they also rest in their ability to maximize the depth of their roster to its utmost utility.

Therefore, insofar as Steven Adams's availability remains relatively questionable, Adams presents a roadblock to the team's chances at a championship.

While a fully healthy Adams would likely take on major minutes, allowing the team to employ the double-big lineup in conjunction with a new, supercharged offense, a limited Adams takes a major rotational option off the table for head coach Ime Udoka as the season progresses.

Steven Adams's questionable availability could be hugely disappointing for the Rockets

Last season, as the Rockets surged to the second seed in the Western Conference on the shoulders of their defense, Adams played almost as large a role as anybody in the team's ascension.

Through 58 games, he averaged 3.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists. While these numbers might not pop off the page, it was his sheer size and his relative availability towards the end of the season that allowed Houston to employ their infamous double-big lineup, pairing Adams with Alperen Sengun.

This combination of size and strength, with even power forward Jabari Smith Jr. being lumped in at times, allowed the Rockets to bully opposing teams on the glass and in the paint, forging an imposing physical presence that gave them the ability to grind down their opponents.

Now, as Houston approaches the new season with an extremely versatile rotation, and an open fifth starting spot, it is quite possible that a number of players, including Adams, would get significant run depending on the matchups.

While Sengun, Durant, Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet will all be concrete starters for the team, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr. and even Dorian Finney-Smith each have their own individual cases for when and why they would get the chance to start.

Adams, while he would be used only in very specific scenarios, could give the team a boost of size at the start of games. While he would likely be subbed out quickly for someone like Eason, even dominating the opposing team on the glass for the first six to seven minutes of the game can make a major difference in the outcome.

Yet, Adams's availability is already somewhat in question before the season begins. Still coming off of an entire missed season in 2023-24 as a result of a knee injury, Adams will not be play back-to-backs this season. Moreover, the organization's signing of Clint Capela this offseason indicates a general lack of faith in Adams's ability to stay healthy and available down the stretch of the season.

Therefore, while re-signing Adams was certainly the correct move for the organization, his potential lack of availability seriously limits their versatility as they attempt to navigate this upcoming season.