The starting lineup is confirmed. The Rockets five lineups will appear in the opening game. Sheppard may be the only competitor for the starting lineup.

In one day, the Rockets will usher in their first regular season game of the 25-26 season, which is also the first game of the new season for all NBA teams. Their opponent is last season's championship Oklahoma City Thunder. Rockets reporter Bradeaux just released a message stating that the team's starting lineup for the first game has been determined.

Previously, people had no doubts about the Rockets' starting lineup. Five players, VanVleet, Shen Jing, Amen Thompson, Durant and Xiaojia, have basically been confirmed as the team's regular starters. However, with VanVleet injured and retired for the season, the Rockets had to consider a new starting lineup. There had been three lineup speculations before. Surprisingly, Udoka finally chose the largest lineup.

In fact, there are currently only a few Rockets players who can replace VanVleet in the starting lineup, Shepard, Ethan and Adams. However, since the start of the preseason, people have been convinced that Ethan has been excluded from the starting lineup. His playing characteristics of being good at chaos make him more suitable to serve as the team's sixth man.

Sheppard's own problem is that he cannot continue to provide stable output on the offensive end. At the same time, he will be targeted by some teams due to his size on the defensive end. However, in the last game of the preseason, he scored 29 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, which still allowed him to take some initiative in the starting competition.

However, when Uduka finally chose to face the Thunder, he replaced VanVleet with Adams. In this way, except for Amen, who is 2.01 meters tall at No. 1, the team's height from No. 2 to No. 5 is all 2.11 meters. A large part of the reason for the team's adjustment comes from the Thunder's lineup configuration, but also due to the characteristics of the players themselves.

First of all, the Thunder have two 7-foot-tall men in Chet and Harten in the paint. Harten has a very good ability to eat inside and is also among the league's top in protecting the rim. Udoka sent Adams to match up with him. On the other hand, Chet has good outside shooting ability. After the Rockets lost VanVleet, Shen Jing needs more organization on the outside, so in terms of position, he also prefers the more mobile No. 4 position.

However, some people are still worried that the Rockets will be too large and lack flexibility at positions 2 and 3, allowing the Thunder to find many outside attack opportunities. Perhaps such concerns do occur to other people, but there is no big problem for the Rockets' Javier and Durant at positions 2 and 3.

When Jia entered the league, he was characterized by defensive flexibility and first-hand outside shooting. He has been playing at the 4th position for the Rockets in the past few years, but in fact, his playing style is closer to the 3rd position. He can switch defenses infinitely on the defensive end. On the offensive end, he spends a large part of his time waiting for opportunities on the outside, or finding the right time to cut inside and find mismatched opportunities.

At the No. 2 position, Durant has the best offensive skills in the league, so people don't have to worry about the Rockets No. 2 position, which will be constrained on the offensive end due to height and size issues. On the contrary, allowing Durant to face the opponent's smaller players will make him more efficient on the offensive end.

Even if positions 2 and 3 cannot keep up with the opponent's speed, don't forget that the Rockets also have Amen Thompson, a first-team defensive player in the league. His ability to help defend is top-notch among all players in the league. Uduka may even arrange for Amen to talk to Alexander directly. After all, the scene of Amen blocking Alexander last season has become one of the famous scenes in the league.

However, after this game, the Rockets still have the possibility of adjusting their starting lineup. As long as Shepard can meet Uduka's requirements on the defensive end, it is likely that he will be the Rockets' stable starting choice in the future. First, Shepard's stable outside firepower is critical to the team. At the same time, as a rookie, the Rockets also intend to gradually develop him. At the same time, in the next two or three seasons, the Rockets will most likely need to rely on VanVleet at the No. 1 position, so it is more reasonable for the team to have Shepard take over this position.

However, people are really looking forward to the Rockets' "Five Deaths". Maybe under Udoka's adjustment, it will lead to the next trend in the league. Do you think the Rockets' big man lineup can defeat the Thunder? Welcome to leave a message for discussion!