The Houston Rockets are coming in at number five on the deepest benches list for 2026-27, and let me tell you, their second unit is absolutely loaded. Forget simply stacking stars; the NBA has shown us that isn’t enough to win anymore. The 2026 Knicks proved bench depth is the rule now, especially over an 82-game grind and four playoff rounds when injuries, rest, and bad shooting nights inevitably hit every squad. Houston gets it, and they’ve built something scary.
Houston’s Bench Is Absolute Fire, No Joke
We’re talking a ridiculous amount of bodies behind their starting five, and honestly, the cool part is every single one of them brings something totally different to the table. Their starting five is already tough with Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun doing their thing. But when Ime Udoka goes to his second unit? Opponents are gonna find themselves in a world of hurt. You know how important that second wave is over a long season, right? This bench can flat-out survive and even thrive.
Reed Sheppard is their instant offense spark plug, the guy who comes in and just gets buckets, which is exactly what second units need. Last season, he was putting up 13.5 points and 3.4 assists, hitting 39.4% from three! That means Houston doesn’t have to glue Durant to the floor every time VanVleet catches a breather just to get some scoring. That’s huge! Then you’ve got Tari Eason, the pure energy piece who just attacks every possession. The dude finished with 10.5 points, 6.3 boards, and 1.2 steals in 25.8 minutes, and get this, 2.1 of those rebounds were on the offensive glass. He’s a menace! And with 35.8% from three, he fits with almost any frontcourt without completely killing the spacing. Talk about versatile.
Veteran Savvy and Big Man Mayhem
Don’t sleep on the veteran presence with Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic either. Smart is a bulldog; he can defend the best guard, switch onto wings, and even take some ball-handling duties to steady the ship. Bogdanovic gives them another shooter, and he can run a pick-and-roll or create something out of nothing when the offense gets ugly late in the clock. That kind of poise is invaluable. And the center depth? It’s honestly the craziest part. Sengun already gives them 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists as the starter. But behind him, you get Steven Adams to smash teams with screens and grab offensive rebounds, or Clint Capela for pure rim protection and lob threats. Udoka has so many different ways to play, it’s not even fair.
Now, yeah, not every single combination works together perfectly. Smart, Eason, and Adams on the floor at the same time can make the spacing a little ugly, and Adams and Capela obviously won’t share many minutes. But that’s the thing, Udoka has so many options he can scheme against different opponents without much difficulty. Having too many productive bench pieces is always a pretty nice problem to have, wouldn’t you say? Keep an eye on Houston, because they’re built for the long haul. And speaking of depth, the Atlanta Hawks are quietly doing something similar on the perimeter, especially with all that new defense they’ve added.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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