On Monday’s episode of “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective,” Windhorst compared what he’s seen from the Rockets through the first seven games of the season to the 2018-19 Raptors, who went on to win the championship in Kawhi Leonard’s first season in Toronto.
Windhorst drew parallels to the Toronto team he saw during the 2018-19 preseason, recalling a game against Anthony Davis and the Pelicans in New Orleans.
“They had just traded for Kawhi, and they looked spectacular,” Windhorst said. “This guy who I had never seen play more than eight minutes in a half, Pascal Siakam, was out there crushing. Kawhi looked good, Fred VanVleet looked good. And I remember watching this game and saying, ‘Holy Moses, the Raptors.’ I mean, we knew that. I mean, they traded for Kawhi. We knew they’re going to be a contender, but my God, they looked good.”
Windhorst was in New Orleans to interview Davis, but it was the Raptors who left a strong impression.
The ESPN NBA insider described a similar feeling this preseason when he traveled to Macao, China, to watch the Mavericks and Rockets play two preseason games as part of the 2026 NBA China Games.
“You know, obviously we wanted to see what Kyrie [Irving] looked like. I’d never seen Cooper Flagg play in person. I was excited to see Cooper Flagg,” Windhorst said. “And then the team that showed up on the other side, MacMahon, in Macau was like, ‘Whoa, whoa.’ And I just watched them and, in talking — look, we had Jabari Smith on, we had Rafael Stone on — I’m getting kind of the same type of vibes.”
The Rockets start to the 2026-27 Season
Through seven games this season, the Rockets have the NBA’s highest offensive rating at 121.2, the ninth-best defensive rating at 108.9 and the second-best net rating at plus-12.3. Their offensive success is due in part to a balanced attack and the depth of their roster. Houston currently has eight players averaging at least 10.0 points per game.
Alperun Sengun has led the Rockets through the early portion of the season, averaging more points and assists while shooting a higher percentage from the field than in either of his two previous All-Star seasons. He’s averaging 22.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists while shooting 53.2% from the field in 33.6 minutes per game.
The Rockets also feature Kevin Durant, who has gotten off to an outstanding start to his 19th NBA season. The 16-time All-Star and 2013-14 MVP is averaging 22 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 51% from the field and 40% from 3-point range in 33.7 minutes per game.
Kevin Durant Is Shooting Less Than He Ever Has
Interestingly, another indication of Houston’s depth is Durant’s shot volume.
Of course, the sample size is small at just seven games, but Durant’s 13.1 field goal attempts per game would be the lowest average of his career by a significant margin. Since entering the league in 2007-08, Durant has rarely averaged fewer than 17 attempts per game. In fact, the only time he has done so was during his first season in Golden State, when he averaged 16.5 attempts per game. That remains his lowest average in any full season.
It’s another sign of the Rockets’ depth and the emergence of their young core.
Jabari Smith Jr., who signed a five-year, $122 million contract extension with Houston in the summer of 2025, is averaging 19 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. The fifth-year forward is shooting 48.9% from the field and 44.7% from 3-point range on nearly seven attempts per game.
Amen Thompson, who signed a five-year, $208 million contract extension with Houston earlier this year, is averaging 16.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 52.3% from the field. He’s also continued to provide elite defense, which is his calling card.
The return of Fred VanVleet from the ACL injury suffered prior to last season, and the addition of Marcus Smart have also provided a welcome veteran presence. Both players give Houston additional help organizing the offense, an area in which the Rockets struggled at times last season. They ranked 20th in clutch-time offensive rating, according to NBA.com’s advanced statistics, with a sub-.500 record in those games.
It’s still early in the season, but in a Western Conference that looks more open than many anticipated, the Rockets are off to an excellent start.
Brian Windhorst Compares Rockets to 2018-19 Raptors: “I’m Getting Kind of the Same Type of Vibes.”