What happened: On Gils Arena, Gilbert Arenas and his co-hosts praised the Houston Rockets for shifting from an isolation-heavy offense to a ball-movement system early in the regular season. The podcast panel credited the signing of Marcus Smart and the return of Steven Adams with giving Houston the structure and depth it lacked last year.

Why it matters: According to Gilbert Arenas and the Gils Arena crew, adding steady guard play frees Kevin Durant to operate purely as a perimeter scorer rather than initiating the offense and bringing the ball up the floor. The hosts argued that with Durant in his natural role and questions surrounding the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston has a complete roster capable of emerging from the Western Conference.

What to watch: The Gils Arena hosts noted that Houston still has room to grow as the starting unit builds chemistry across the regular season.