The Houston Rockets are about to roll out one of the tallest, lengthiest starting lineups in NBA history when they begin the 2025-26 NBA season on Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Without Fred VanVleet entering the new season at the point guard spot, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka is committing to his big guys and rolling out a starting five that will include Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, and Steven Adams to combat the Thunder's length, according to Houston sideline reporter Vanessa Richardson.
This lineup not only features five players who are all 6'7″ or taller, but each of the five Rockets starters possesses a wingspan of at least 7'0″. Durant and Adams each have a 7'5″ wingspan, and everyone but Thompson is labeled as 6'11” despite the belief that Durant and Smith are taller than their listed heights.
Over the last few seasons, many NBA teams have been adapting to the times and adding a second center to their main rotation.
We saw the Rockets have success doing this at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season and in the playoffs against a smaller team like the Golden State Warriors, and the Thunder recently won a championship with lineups that featured both Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein together in the frontcourt.
The era of small-ball is no more, as many teams are beginning to put an emphasis on rebounding and having multiple bigs play in the same lineup to create havoc for their opponents.
Although many are questioning the Rockets' lineup and their ability to shoot from the perimeter, Udoka has made it clear he wants to see his team attack the offensive glass. The Rockets ranked first in offensive rebounding during the 2024-25 season, and they will once again be crashing the glass from the first game of the season in Oklahoma City.
What makes this starting rotation for Udoka and the 2025-26 Rockets so special is that it's one of the largest in NBA history.
The Denver Nuggets rolled out a lineup consisting of Nikola Jokic (6'11”), Jerami Grant (6'8″), Bol Bol (7'2″), Paul Millsap (6'7″), and Mason Plumlee (6'11”) in the 2020 NBA Bubble that had a combined height of 411 inches.
This Rockets lineup of Thompson, Durant, Smith, Sengun, and Adams has a combined height of 411 inches.
While it is not confirmed, the presumed largest starting lineup in NBA history belongs to the 1998-99 Dallas Mavericks, who had a total height of 413 inches in their starting lineup with Shawn Bradley, Dirk Nowitzki, Christian Laettner, Michael Finley, and Hubert Davis.
These five played together during the final game of the 1998-99 season, which was only 50 games because of the lockout.
No matter which team had the tallest starting lineup, the fact of the matter is that this Rockets' lineup has length, size, and will be extremely hard to score against.
Houston begins the 2025-26 NBA season attempting to play the role of spoilers when the Thunder receive their championship rings on Tuesday night.
