The top five dead men are here! Rockets announce starting lineup for opening game: The total height of 10.45 meters can rank second in history

On October 21, according to Rockets sideline reporter Vanessa Richardson, in the opening game of the 2025-26 NBA season against the Thunder, the Rockets will field a starting lineup that is considered to be one of the tallest and longest wingspan in NBA history.

Since VanVleet did not enter the starting list of point guards in the new season due to injury, Rockets head coach Udoka decided to reuse the team's big players. In order to deal with the Thunder's height advantage, he finalized the starting five including Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Shen Jing and Adams.

The height and wingspan advantages of the lineup

In this lineup, Thompson, who is 2.01 meters tall, is already the shortest player, and the other four are all 2.11 meters tall. The total height of the five people can reach 10.45 meters. Not only are their heights terrifying, but everyone's wingspan is at least 2.13 meters. Among them, Durant and Adams both have wingspans of 2.26 meters.

"This lineup allows us to make full use of our height and size advantages." Durant said, "Obviously, we will have shortcomings when facing teams that are good at stretching the space and focus on small lineups, but I think this lineup has more advantages. It can even offset shortcomings. It can block the penalty area, grab offensive rebounds, and promote fast breaks and score easily. Therefore, having a versatile team that can play in the top five lineups is always key."

Jabari Smith is full of expectations when he thinks about playing in the top five lineups. He believes this lineup will be successful in part because of his and Durant's shooting ability, as well as Amen's breakthrough skills.

"The league was previously dominated by small lineups, but now it is gradually returning to the twin-tower lineup - in applicable teams, this lineup can obtain more offensive rounds through offensive rebounds, and can also bring a new tactical look." Smith said, "Each team is different. I think as long as the personnel configuration allows, why not try it?"

As a reference, according to Basketball Network data, the highest recorded starting lineup in NBA history is the 1999 Mavericks lineup - Hubert Davis, Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Anstey and Sean Bradley, with a total height of about 10.49 meters. These five only appeared together in the final game of the 1998-99 season, which was limited to 50 games due to a lockout.

League Trends and Rockets’ Strategy

In the past few seasons, many NBA teams have been adapting to the changes of the times and adding a second center to the main rotation.

The Rockets used a similar big man lineup against small teams such as the Golden State Warriors at the end of the 2024-25 season and in the playoffs, and achieved good results.

The Thunder also recently won the championship with a lineup that deployed both Holmgren and Hatten in the frontcourt.

The small ball era has officially come to an end. Nowadays, many teams have begun to pay attention to rebounding and arrange for multiple big players to play at the same time to cause problems for their opponents.

Although many people question the outside shooting ability of the Rockets' lineup, Uduka has made it clear that he hopes the team will focus on offensive rebounds. The Rockets rank first in the league in offensive rebounds in the 2024-25 season, and they will continue to implement this style of play against the Thunder in the first game of the new season.

In the opening game of the new season, the Thunder will receive their championship ring at home, while the Rockets will start the 2025-26 season as a "spoiler."