What happened: Houston finished 52-30 and fifth in the West before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games in the first round. Fred VanVleet missed the entire season with a knee injury while Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson shared point guard duties. The projected 2026-27 starters are VanVleet, Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun.

Why it matters: Houston locked up Sengun and Thompson to long-term deals while Durant, 37, holds a player option for next season. The offense stalled in crunch time without an established ballhandler, a gap VanVleet's return is expected to address. The West path in the next tier runs through the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.

What to watch: VanVleet is expected to be ready for the start of the 2026-27 season. Watch whether Houston's crunch-time offense stabilizes with him initiating alongside Durant.