The Rockets final game against the Hawks will be without six generals, and there are three highlights worth paying attention to.

As the 2025-2026 NBA regular season draws closer, the preseason games of each team have also entered the final stage. The Rockets and the Hawks met twice in the preseason this season. From the Rockets' home win in the first game, which was a good start, to the final match on October 17, when a large number of the main players of both sides were absent, each game was worth talking about. The Rockets have already won three consecutive games before, and they will definitely strive to win all four games this time. At the same time, the three highlights of this game are also worthy of attention.

Let's talk about the first matchup on October 7th. The game was played at the Rockets' home court, and the two teams' lineups were not neat before the game. For the Rockets, Durant, who had just joined, took a rest and did not play. VanVleet, the "commander" of the back line, was already scheduled to be reimbursed for the season due to anterior knee cruciate ligament surgery. Even forward Finney Smith was on the "doubtful" list due to an ankle injury. On the Hawks' side, Trae Young and Porzingis are both here, but anyone with a discerning eye can tell at a glance that neither of them intends to really exert their strength, and they are obviously looking for a rhythm.

Who would have thought that this "training round" would be quite a stalemate. At the beginning of the game, the Rockets quickly established an advantage with two three-pointers by Jabari Smith Jr., leading 26-23 in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the two sides launched an offensive battle, each scoring 40+ points in a single quarter. The Eagles once narrowed the point difference to 2 points. At the critical moment, Shen Jing's low post and three-pointer stabilized the situation. The Rockets led 64-60 at halftime. In the second half, the Hawks counterattacked several times to close the point difference to 3 points. Rockets substitute Davison scored three consecutive points, and Shen Jing supported the team from a high position and finally held on to the victory.

For the Rockets, Shen Jing became the absolute core. He made 5 of 8 shots and contributed 19 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. The plus-minus value was +18, the highest in the game. He dominated the game on both ends of the offense and defense, scoring 16 points at halftime. Substitute point guard Davison became a surprise player, scoring 17 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists on 6 of 9 shots (5 of 7 three-pointers). He scored 8 points in a row at the critical moment to dampen the Hawks' counterattack momentum. In addition, Amen Thompson scored 11 points and 3 assists, and Ethan contributed 10 points and 6 rebounds. The two provided stable support on both offense and defense.

For the Hawks, although Trae Young only scored 9 points, he sent 8 assists to connect the offense; Jaylen Johnson and Okongwu each scored 11 points. Porzingis was in a sluggish state and only scored 5 points and did not grab any rebounds. The Rockets won the victory with their inside advantage (leading 53-34 in rebounding) and accurate three-pointers (shooting rate 41.2%).

In the blink of an eye, the final game on October 17th is approaching. This time it is the Rockets' turn to challenge the Hawks away from home. However, the injury lists updated by the two teams the day before the game directly took away most of the "star flavor" of the game - a total of 10 people were definitely absent, and one person was doubtful. The core rotation and injuries became the main reasons for the incomplete lineup. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a "substitute lineup duel".

Let’s look at the Rockets first. Among the six absent players, VanVleet still has the same problem. Anterior knee cruciate ligament surgery has completely eliminated him for the season. This is a huge blow to the Rockets’ No. 1 position. You must know that last season he averaged 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Although his shooting percentage of 39% is not high, the Rockets' offensive efficiency when he was on the court was 115, and his turnover rate was only 12.7%. He is a proper "brain" in the backcourt. There is also no good news for Finney Smith and Tate on the forward line. The former has an ankle injury and is not recovering well, and the latter has a knee problem. Finney Smith was a reliable forward rotation last season, averaging 8.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, and his three-point shooting percentage was 41.1%. He can both defend and shoot. Although Tate has not found the complete data of last season, his fighting spirit and defensive hardness are what the Rockets' forwards particularly need. Once the two are absent, the forward defense will be directly downgraded.

What is more critical is the rotation of the three core players: Durant, Shen Jing and Adams are all included in the "rest management". Durant averaged 26 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists per game last season. Needless to say, he is versatile at both ends of the offense and defense. Shen Jing has evolved into the core of the inside, averaging 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He can score, rebound and provide support. Although Adams does not score much, he averages about 9 rebounds per game, which is the guarantee of the inside. These three people rested together, and the Rockets basically played with a semi-main lineup.

The Eagles are not much better. Four players are confirmed to be absent, and half of the core framework is scattered. Trae Young simply rested this time. As last season's assist leader, he averaged 24.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 11.6 assists per game, with a total of 880 assists. The Hawks' offense depends entirely on him. Without him, the team's offense would not know how to launch it. Also resting with him are Porzingis and Daniels. Porzingis averaged 19.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season and shot 41.2% from three-point range. He is an important scoring point inside. Daniels is even more ruthless, leading the league in steals with 3.01 per game. He also scored 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists, and can be used on both offense and defense.

In addition to resting, forward Jaylen Johnson is also not available due to personal reasons. He averaged 18.9 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists per game last season. He already has All-Star potential. When he is absent, the Hawks' forward line vitality is directly reduced. What's even more troublesome is that forward Alexander Walker is still "doubtful" and can only determine whether he can play before the game. He averaged 8 points per game last season. Although he is not the main force, he is also an important part of the rotation. If he does not play, the Hawks will almost have no one in the rotation.

However, despite being somewhat absent, this final game was more interesting to watch. In summary, there are three main aspects. The first one is definitely a "life and death battle" for marginal players. Originally, the preseason was the "interview venue" for these players. Now that 10 main rotation players on both sides are absent, it gives them a lot of playing time. Whether they can seize the opportunity may directly determine whether they can stay in the NBA. Just talk about the Rockets' Crawford and Matthews. They basically didn't get much time in the preseason before. If they can't show stable performance this time, they probably won't make the regular season roster..

The second highlight is the “tactical training” after the absence of the core. Usually when the Rockets play games, they either play around Durant or rely on Shen Jing for support; for the Hawks, Trae Young controls the rhythm. Now that the core is away, it's just a good time to test the team's tactical flexibility. For the Rockets, Amen Thompson has to try to organize independently. He used to play support next to VanVleet. It depends on him whether he can support the backcourt this time. There is also rookie Shepard, who is expected to get more than 30 minutes of playing time. He previously averaged 7.8 points and 3.2 assists per game and shot 35.4% from three-point range. This time he has to prove that he can fill the gap at the first position.

The third point of interest is the "strength and weakness dialogue" between inside offense and defense. Although Rockets Adams is not on the court, there are other rotating insiders; once Porzingis rests with the Eagles, the inside line is basically in ruins. In the first game, the Rockets relied on their rebounding advantage to suppress the Hawks, and this time they will probably go inside. But the Hawks will not sit still and may rely on team defense to make up for their lack of height, such as multiple double attacks and multiple rotations. What's more interesting is that the Rockets may try a small lineup to see if they can speed up without a traditional center. How the Hawks deal with this style of play will be the key to this tactical game. As coach Uduka said before, the Rockets will rely on defense in the new season. This game can just test whether the team's defensive system can still operate without the core insider.