- 02/07/2025
🚨 **Brian Windhorst** says the **Houston Rockets** are a **real NBA title contender next season**, following an aggressive and calculated free agency. The additions of **Kevin Durant**, **Clint Capela**, and **Dorian Finney-Smith** have reshaped the Rockets into one of the most dangerous teams in the West.
🏀 In this episode of **NBA Today**, we cover:
• Windhorst’s breakdown of the Rockets’ new-look roster
• How KD fits alongside Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet, and Jabari Smith
• Why the additions of Capela and Finney-Smith are being praised league-wide
• Championship window analysis — can Houston make the Finals in 2025–26?
• ESPN panel reactions from Malika Andrews, Chiney Ogwumike, and Kendrick Perkins
📌 Do YOU think Houston is legit now? Or do they still need one more piece?
👍 LIKE this video, COMMENT with your take, and SUBSCRIBE for more NBA Today analysis!
#NBA #Rockets #BrianWindhorst #KevinDurant #NBAToday #FreeAgency #NBAContenders #HoustonRockets #ESPNNBA
Rockets NBA title contender, Rockets free agency 2025, Kevin Durant Rockets, Windhorst Rockets prediction, NBA Today Houston segment, Rockets offseason analysis, Clint Capela Rockets, DFS Rockets signing, Rockets superteam 2025, Rockets vs Thunder rivalry
🏀 In this episode of **NBA Today**, we cover:
• Windhorst’s breakdown of the Rockets’ new-look roster
• How KD fits alongside Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet, and Jabari Smith
• Why the additions of Capela and Finney-Smith are being praised league-wide
• Championship window analysis — can Houston make the Finals in 2025–26?
• ESPN panel reactions from Malika Andrews, Chiney Ogwumike, and Kendrick Perkins
📌 Do YOU think Houston is legit now? Or do they still need one more piece?
👍 LIKE this video, COMMENT with your take, and SUBSCRIBE for more NBA Today analysis!
#NBA #Rockets #BrianWindhorst #KevinDurant #NBAToday #FreeAgency #NBAContenders #HoustonRockets #ESPNNBA
Rockets NBA title contender, Rockets free agency 2025, Kevin Durant Rockets, Windhorst Rockets prediction, NBA Today Houston segment, Rockets offseason analysis, Clint Capela Rockets, DFS Rockets signing, Rockets superteam 2025, Rockets vs Thunder rivalry
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SportTranscription
00:00The Suns are trading 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant to the Rockets.
00:05Kevin Durant.
00:06Kevin Durant.
00:07Kevin Durant.
00:08Durant makes his move.
00:09Oh, bitch, finish!
00:11I'm a villain, I'm a killin' every time.
00:13For the Rockets, this is something that gives them a number one option.
00:16You can hand them the ball and say, take me this.
00:19Crazy, crazy.
00:20Last couple weeks, they wanted me to go, so they got what they wanted and I got what I wanted.
00:26There's been so much happening in the last week,
00:28it's easy to forget that nine days ago the Houston Rockets made a seismic move to bring in Kevin Durant.
00:34As we say howdy to our resident Texan, our reporter Tim McMahon,
00:37who's been covering this franchise and the shifted outlook for this upcoming season.
00:42Tim, what are you hearing coming from Houston?
00:45Howdy, Malika.
00:46Look, the Rockets went from hopefully to Hall of Famer as far as their go-to guy goes,
00:50shipping out Jalen Green, bringing in the 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant,
00:55and still obviously playing at an extraordinarily high level, at an All-NBA level.
01:00They've also, though, leaned even more into their identity
01:04as far as just being this big, nasty, tough, physical, bully-ball type of squad.
01:10They got bigger across the board.
01:12Kevin Durant's bigger than Jalen Green.
01:14Dorian Finney-Smith is bigger than Dylan Brooks.
01:16And I think a lot of people were surprised that they signed Clint Capella,
01:21bringing him back to Houston, because they already have Alper and Shingun.
01:25They already have Steven Adams.
01:26What they wanted, though, was the ability to play that two-big lineup on a regular basis,
01:32understanding that Steven Adams is not playing 82 games, probably not 70, maybe 60.
01:38His minutes will have to be managed throughout the regular season.
01:40They'll have, hopefully, either Adams or Capella, sometimes both,
01:44and they can just go out there and throw those lineups that just beat up opponents,
01:49grab every offensive rebound.
01:50You can't keep them off the glass.
01:52And, again, just they are tougher than they were last year,
01:56and they were maybe the NBA's toughest team last season.
01:59Yeah, they were the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference,
02:01and now they got even better.
02:03And the good news for us is that means we're going to get to see more of you
02:05and get more of those howdies that I so look forward to on the show when you join us.
02:09Tim McMahon, thank you so much.
02:11Adios, amigo.
02:12Sticking in Texas here, let's just recap where the Spurs currently stand
02:16because the Rookie of the Year, Victor Wembenyana,
02:18he missed the second half of his sophomore season with a blood clot in his shoulder.
02:22He was on track to lead the NBA with a monstrous 3.8 blocks per game.
02:27Now, the Spurs, they drafted their second straight Rookie of the Year winner,
02:31Stephon Castle.
02:32He averaged nearly 15 points per game
02:34and established himself as a key member of San Antonio's future.
02:38But now the Spurs, they look to be the first franchise with three straight Rookie of the Year winners,
02:44drafting Dylan Harper in the second overall pick here.
02:48Harper set a Rutgers freshman scoring record with 564 points last season.
02:53But for San Antonio, everything begins and ends with Victor Wembenyana.
02:57And, of course, we have seen the videos, Brian, of him playing,
03:01soccer of him at the monastery, all of these different things.
03:03But every time I see these videos, I just wonder, how's he doing?
03:07How is his health?
03:07When can we expect to see him?
03:08Well, they haven't given an official update,
03:10but when you're recovering from a blood clot,
03:12if you're still on medication, you can't do physical activity.
03:15So the fact that we see him out there playing with these kids
03:18is an indication that he's doing much better.
03:21And so, look, we have just talked recently about how the Thunder have this big three,
03:25that they've locked into those guys that they got when they were young.
03:28They got Shea in the second year in the league.
03:30They drafted Chet Holmgren.
03:31They drafted Jalen Williams.
03:32The Spurs think that this could be their, this trio that they've drafted in a row,
03:38Victor Wembenyana, then Stephon Castle, now Dylan Harper,
03:42that they've backed up with some other veterans that they've brought in around them.
03:46But this is what they're excited about.
03:48And if you look at what's happened in Dallas, just up the road in Texas,
03:52look at Cooper Flagg also there.
03:54These three teams are all drafting and all trying to build the same way
03:57that their team, that their Southwest Division rival, Oklahoma City, has as well.
04:02Well, and we only saw De'Aaron Fox and Wembe play five games together
04:06before health derailed their season.
04:08What are you looking for from this duo, UD?
04:09I mean, I can't wait to see that pick and roll with those two guys.
04:12You got a big who can roll to the basket, can catch lobs, he can flare back and shoot the three.
04:15I think he averaged about nine threes a game.
04:18And he can pretty much get it in the midpost and do what he wants.
04:20But I look at the youth of this team.
04:21I look at Vassal.
04:22I look at Castle.
04:23I look at where they brought in Dylan Harper.
04:25I look at Wembe, the coach that they got right now.
04:27Everything is falling in line for this team to continue to build.
04:30They just need a couple more mango seasons.
04:32Just wait on it.
04:33Just wait on it.
04:33I guarantee we'll be having way more conversations about the San Antonio Spurs in another year or two.
04:38There's no rush on this.
04:40I mean, with where they're at right now with these drafts, they got guys that are the real deal.
04:44Stephon Castle is alley fight tough.
04:47Dylan Harper is the real deal.
04:48Like, this is a franchise lead guard.
04:50Of course, you've got Wembe Yama, who looks like he's nine foot three now.
04:53I don't even know how tall the guy is.
04:55This team, I think this year, 500 or north of it, is a reasonable expectation if everybody's healthy.
05:01He won 34 games a year ago.
05:03And they shut it down pretty early.
05:06I think that's reasonable.
05:07This team could be in the mix for potentially playing if everybody stays healthy this season.
05:10Victor is not the guy who wants to say, let's wait another mango season.
05:14He is the player that says, I want to go and I want to win now.
05:17He's talked about it, how he envisions his team continuing to build.
05:20Is that realistic for them this year?
05:22Well, I would say this.
05:23They don't want to hurry it.
05:24But they have incredible amount of draft capital and young players.
05:27And when Kevin Durant was available, he put the Spurs on his list of teams he's interested.
05:32Dane did too.
05:33And so did Darren Fox, who basically tried to guide his way to San Antonio.
05:39So if there's another star that becomes available during this season, if it's one that the Spurs feel like matches the timeline with these young players, they are in position to make a compelling offer.
05:49They don't have to.
05:50They don't have to rush it.
05:52But this is what the optionality that they have.
05:54That is a similar situation to the Rockets.
05:56The Rockets have good young pieces.
05:57They have veterans in Fred Van Vliet and Kevin Durant.
05:59And they have draft capital and young players that they can go after a star if one becomes available.
06:04And that's team success.
06:05Individual success.
06:06I still believe that we are going to see MVP victor sooner rather than later in this league, Tim.
06:12Completely agree.
06:13Because it's so unique.
06:14We've just never seen anything quite like this with that length and that skill set combined.
06:17And his impact defensively.
06:19How much he wants to affect the game defensively as well.
06:22So you're right.
06:23It's going to happen pretty quickly.
06:25We've seen glimpses of it.
06:26Unfortunately, we didn't see his season come to a conclusion a year ago.
06:30He comes into the year healthy.
06:31There's no telling what this guy's box score is going to look like every night.
06:35I was a guy who wanted all the smoke when I played.
06:37Everything.
06:38Bring it.
06:39I don't want none of that.
06:40I'm going to tell you right now.
06:41I don't want none of that, Tim.
06:42I ain't never seen nothing like that.
06:43I do not want to have to line up against Victor Wimuyama at all.
06:47I mean, I would love to see him healthy.
06:48I can't wait until he gets back.
06:50I really can't.
06:50I've been through a blood clot.
06:52I know the progression that you have to go through and everything.
06:54Not being able to be physical.
06:56Shooting in the gym by yourself.
06:57Nobody wants to touch you.
06:58All these different things that you have to go through.
07:00Because if you do get hit, how it goes and the bleeding and different things like that.
07:03So I can't wait to see what Victor looks like next year when he comes back.
07:07But I'm happy I ain't out there.
07:08I don't want none of that.
07:09And I wasn't the guy who wanted it all.
07:10There's some other things that you could do.
07:12You would engage with Victor in his pastimes.
07:14Have you seen the summer that he has had?
07:16I want to know who his travel agent is.
07:18You might need to take a trip with Victor.
07:20How the hell did he get into Charlene Temple?
07:22His summer has been anything but ordinary here.
07:25He started off in China.
07:27He shaved his head.
07:29Hung out with some monks.
07:31Did some kung fu.
07:33Meditation.
07:34Right up my alley.
07:35You would shave your head?
07:36Yeah.
07:38Oh, no.
07:39Not me.
07:39Up to the point.
07:40I don't have the shape for that.
07:42My head is different.
07:43Yeah.
07:44I feel like I actually might.
07:45I've always kind of thought I could be a bald lady with earrings.
07:47And then this, bending it like Beckham.
07:50Man.
07:51That was crazy.
07:52That's not easy.
07:53Man.
07:53Also, can you imagine in the box with a corner kick?
07:56Like, he would destroy with the header.
07:59Great point.
08:00FYI.
08:00That's a good side note to make sure to keep an eye on here as we look to see whether or
08:06not that's something that could happen here in the next couple of days.
08:08But I was just going to say the discipline that Giannis plays with, that's something that
08:11Chris Paul, he's a guy who has a deep respect for that.
08:15I'm just thinking like, you know, Chris Paul has looked at opportunities with the Clippers
08:18and with the Suns.
08:19If neither materializes and his choice is Milwaukee, would he go to Milwaukee or would
08:25he just wait for another opportunity?
08:27That's one of the things that we'll have to see here.
08:29Well, let's take a look at the odds.
08:30Surprising to no one.
08:32It's the Thunder that are at the top.
08:34And you can see here.
08:36Remember, we haven't seen repeat champions since Steph and Kevin Durant back in 2018.
08:40You got the Nuggets.
08:41You have the Rockets tied with the second best odds to win it.
08:44The Hawks, though, making a huge jump there.
08:47But Udonis, I'm not so interested in what the odds say.
08:51I'm much more interested in Haslam's hierarchy of the top five teams in the NBA right now.
08:55I recognize that we get to see another move in five minutes.
08:58It could change.
08:58I'm telling you, this is Haslam's hierarchy.
09:00And usually the only thing that matters is rings and things.
09:02But today we will make an exception.
09:04This is not perp, so you are allowed to speak here.
09:06But we do not do bangs.
09:08We do booms.
09:09At number five, coming right now.
09:10I will start this off.
09:12Boom!
09:14On this side here.
09:15We're going to go on this side.
09:15We're going to slide over here.
09:17We're going to run it back.
09:18Boom!
09:19The Minnesota Timberwolves.
09:21I know they didn't have a very exciting offseason, but this is a team who went to the Western Conference semis
09:25and went to the Western Conference finals.
09:27You bring back your core.
09:28I know you lose Alexander Walker, but you bring in a young fella who came in and gave you great energy off the bench.
09:35So I think Terrence Smith, excuse me.
09:38Terrence Shannon.
09:38Terrence Shannon will come in and take care of that.
09:40So now we get to number four, please.
09:42Can you help me out, Malik?
09:43I got you.
09:44Boom!
09:46Boom!
09:46The Cleveland Cavaliers.
09:47I know they had another very, very dry summer, but I look at this team, and this is a team
09:53who brought in Hunter over the offseason.
09:55I think that, excuse me, brought in Hunter last year.
09:57I think that will really pay off this year.
09:59You bring in Lonzo Ball.
10:00You struggle because you have small guards, so you fix that situation with Lonzo Ball.
10:04And they've had the pain and the agony of having a disappointing season that they had to wallow in and sit in all offseason.
10:10At number three.
10:11Come on, Timmy.
10:12Help me out here with this one.
10:13Boom!
10:14Boom!
10:15Number three.
10:15I wanted to put them up a little bit higher, but I'm going to put them at number three right now.
10:18At number three, the Denver Nuggets.
10:21Right now, you go get Cam Johnson.
10:22I think that is an upgrade, and that's no knock on what they lost.
10:25But I think offensively, he creates plays for other people.
10:27He can defend at a higher rate.
10:28He switch.
10:29You bring in Valanchunas.
10:30Do you know the Joker played 40 minutes per game in the playoffs?
10:33This is a guy who averaged 10 and 8 in about 12, 13 minutes a game.
10:36So I love what they did right there.
10:38And you have Adam in back as the coach, and I love him, and I love his leadership.
10:41At number two.
10:42Come on, Wendy.
10:42Help me out with this one right here.
10:43This might be a surprising one.
10:44I'm kind of excited to say boom!
10:46Oh!
10:46Boom!
10:47I like that, Wendy.
10:47I like your boom.
10:48Hey!
10:49Boom!
10:49We understand what they did with Kevin Durant, which was Hoos.
10:52But the biggest thing about me is they got three centers.
10:54They got Capella.
10:55They got Adams.
10:56They also kept Sangoon.
10:57These are three guys that give the Joker three different problems to look at.
11:01And you also talk about bringing back Van Fleet, who is a guy who opted out, and you've
11:05got two more years.
11:06You kept Jabari.
11:07You kept your core.
11:07You kept Amon Thompson.
11:09You have Emile Adoka, who's a leader and a hell of a coach, and is a guy who's going
11:12to make sure those guys fight every single night and lead those young guys.
11:15At number one, I'm going to come with this.
11:16Boom!
11:18The OKC Thunder.
11:19Man, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to tell you, they're the champs until somebody
11:21take them out.
11:22You bring back Jalen Williams, who's a locker room guy.
11:24I don't care what nobody says.
11:25His defense against the Joker in the Western Conference Finals was immaculate.
11:30The Joker shot about 27% against him.
11:32You've got your coaching staff.
11:33You've got your young guy.
11:34You paid just leader a bag.
11:36You know you're going to have him.
11:37You've staggered your contracts so you can keep this core group together.
11:41So I keep these guys at number one.
11:43I'm going to tell you right now, this is my five.
11:45Do not argue with my five because we're going to wrestle.
11:47And I made an exception today because this is not about rings.
11:50This is just about the top five teams right now in the NBA.
11:53And one time he wrestled an alligator, so really, you don't want to wrestle with you.
11:56And I won't.
11:58But the Oklahoma City Thunder, we haven't seen a repeat champion in quite some time.
12:02I'm guilty of asking the question we do every time, the Boston Celtics.
12:05Is this going to be the team?
12:07It feels like OKC is uniquely positioned to do so.
12:10A little different young talent.
12:12They accept their lane on their team.
12:14And I also think this is a team that's built the right way.
12:17They're built around defense.
12:18That's really their identity as a team.
12:20So I like this a lot.
12:21I would say I like this list a lot.
12:24I personally might flip these two.
12:27Wow.
12:28You're talking about a team that's already won a championship.
12:29And we're not talking about the offseason, right?
12:30We're talking about the actual standings of the two teams.
12:33That's exactly right.
12:34Just as we sit here today, I think I would give the edge to the Nuggets.
12:37I love what everything used to do.
12:38We've been talking about it for two days.
12:40Denver, to me, because they got deeper, they added some important pieces,
12:44and they still do have Nikola Jokic, and they've won a championship.
12:47I could see it.
12:48I'm right there with you, Legs.
12:49I want to talk to me.
12:51Talk to me now.
12:51I want to.
12:52It's an open discussion.
12:53I do think the Denver Nuggets as a team, I think Houston said the better offseason.
12:57But the Denver Nuggets are going to be really, really interesting next year.
13:01But speaking of Texas.
Recommandations
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