Opening-night lineups signal a franchise’s stylistic aims, but rosters are fluid. Five NBA teams—New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Portland, and Dallas—are weighing how to start the season: who anchors, who spaces the floor, and who grows into a longer-term role. The Knicks face a Hart slot crisis; the Rockets eye Reed Sheppard as a shooting-and-playmaking answer; the Lakers debate defense vs. offense around Dončić, LeBron, and Reaves; Portland prioritizes youth; Dallas tests a double-big path with Davis and Flagg.

Houston’s title bid encounters a major obstacle as Fred VanVleet’s season-ending ACL tear shifts the offense into a by-committee rhythm led by Kevin Durant. Durant remain a focal point, but the Rockets must lean on Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard and Alperen Sengun to initiate and organize play. Depth behind the star trio is tested, with defensive versatility and ball-handling risk as the team recalibrates around Durant’s gravity.

Houston eyes internal development and midseason shuffles rather than quick fixes, hoping Durant’s scoring while others grow into initiators can sustain a competitive West run. The organization could pursue a disabled-player exception, but cap constraints and trade-fuelled openings are tight. Fantasy angles now hinge on how quickly Thompson, Sheppard and Sengun lock in roles and how the defense absorbs VanVleet’s absence.