Rockets stars Kevin Durant (No. 9), Alperen Sengun (No. 25), Amen Thompson (No. 37), and Jabari Smith Jr. (No. 74) are all prominently featured on ESPN’s latest NBA player rankings.
The recent loss of veteran point guard Fred VanVleet (right ACL tear) subtracted a winning player from the 2025-26 Houston Rockets.
Fortunately, the Rockets — who finished last season at 52-30 and No. 2 in the Western Conference before trading for All-Star forward Kevin Durant in July — should have enough depth to remain a contender.
Per ESPN’s annual NBA rank series, Houston now has four representatives among the league’s top 75 players. Three (all but Durant) are 23 years old or younger, meaning that further growth and development are quite possible.
The list is as follows:
No. 74: Jabari Smith Jr., forwardNo. 37: Amen Thompson, guard/forwardNo. 25: Alperen Sengun, centerNo. 9: Kevin Durant, forward
Extended analysis of each player can be read at ESPN.
Per ESPN, the panel’s criteria includes:
ESPN’s NBA Rank panel, made up of more than 150 reporters, editors, producers, and analysts, was asked to rank players based on their predicted contributions — quality and quantity — for the 2025-26 season only.
For the Rockets, projected rotation players who did not make ESPN’s list of the NBA’s top 100 players include Steven Adams, Tari Eason, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Reed Sheppard.
VanVleet was not considered due to his long-term injury, which is expected to cost him most or all of the upcoming 2025-26 campaign.