“I think I’ll pick them to win the West,” Nick Wright said of Houston via First Things First (Fox Sports 1). “I think they have a great blend of what we’ve seen works right now, in the NBA.”
In the aftermath of Houston’s blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant, Fox Sports 1 analyst Nick Wright (First Things First) says he’s likely to predict the 2025-26 Rockets to unseat the Oklahoma City Thunder as Western Conference champions.
“I think I’ll pick them to win the West,” Wright said. “I think they have a great blend of what we’ve seen works right now in the NBA. You talked about the defense, bang. High-level coaching, no doubt about it. Depth, and a guy that can get you a guaranteed 25+ points, which Kevin Durant still is.”
Of course, the 2025-26 season won’t start until October, so there’s no reason to lock in a prediction in June. That’s especially the case with the opening of the NBA’s 2025 free agency window on June 30, which could lead to further roster changes around the league.
But at the moment, the Rockets are in a good spot. They have the foundation of a team that finished at 52-30 and No. 2 in the West last season, and now they’re adding an All-Star and a future Hall of Famer.
“That is a complete, deep, well-rounded team,” Wright said. “Tari Eason would start on a bunch of teams. Reed Sheppard is the X-factor, but he was a top-five pick last year. I like that they went from a team that didn’t really have any shot making, aside from Fred VanVleet at times, to KD — who’s one of the greatest shot makers ever. And I’m going to include 20 minutes per game from Sheppard, who was drafted because of shot making.”
Wright identified VanVleet, Durant, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun as Houston’s likely starting lineup, which appears to be the case. Durant and Sengun were All-Stars this past season, and Thompson could perhaps be in the mix in 2025-26.
But as far as winning the West, the top-seeded Thunder went 68-14 and just won the 2025 NBA Finals. So, even significant improvement from the Rockets offers no guarantees.
Regardless, Houston is increasingly in the 2026 championship conversation. Between that and Durant’s past history with Oklahoma City, it should be very intense rivalry when the Rockets and Thunder get together next season.
Should the teams ultimately meet in postseason play, it would be the first time that for Durant to face Oklahoma City in the playoffs since his 2016 free agency departure.
“I expect the Rockets to be one of the final four teams remaining, and we’ll see from there,” Wright said, seemingly pointing to a Western Conference finals showdown.
Wright’s complete segment on the Durant-led Rockets can be viewed below.