The Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder will kick off the NBA's regular season on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, both teams are already dealing with injuries before the 82-game slate starts. Rockets guard Fred Vanvleet will miss the entire season with a torn ACL. In order to fill the void left by the former champion, Houston signed Caleb McConnell and Daishen Nix.
Both Nix and McConnell are young guards that will fight to earn time in Ime Udoka's rotation, which doesn't have much room left. However, their arrival gives Houston some depth behind Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson in the back court. The Rockets' playstyle is most effective with a deep bench, so Nix and McConnell should get their opportunity to prove themselves.
According to Spotrac contributor Keith Smith, the Rockets brought both players in with less than a week to spare.
“The Houston Rockets announced they have signed Caleb McConnell and Daishen Nix,” Smith said.
Houston's season opener may be on the road, but Rockets fans everywhere will watch the game eagerly. Oklahoma City will be without Jalen Williams because of injury, setting the table for an electric debut from Kevin Durant. Houston pulled off one of the offseason's biggest trades, adding the former NBA MVP to a young, talented roster.
Vanvleet's absence will hurt the Rockets offense throughout the season. However, Nix and McConnell can give Udoka energy off the bench to help the team make up for what it lacks on that end of the floor. Houston is a dark horse candidate in the Western Conference, and the table is set for the team to have success in the 2025-26 season.
With the addition of McConnell and Nix, the Rockets' roster is complete. Now, the only question is just how far Durant can lead the team in the playoffs as he pursues another title.
