After the blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant, the Houston Rockets have emerged as contenders in the Western Conference. Of course, to win the west, Houston will likely have to take down the Denver Nuggets with three matchups already scheduled, and it is likely these two teams will see plenty of each other. With all that being said, exactly how do the Rockets match up with the Nuggets from an individual player matchup? The matchups for starters are based on projected starting lineups for Opening Night.
Point Guard
The starting point guard for the Houston Rockets is projected to be Fred VanVleet, who, against many starting point guards, could win the head-to-head matchup, but the Nuggets’ starting point guard is Jamal Murray. Jamal Murray is not only younger than Fred, but he is also the better player right now, despite Fred being the better passer and leader.
Advantage: Nuggets
Shooting Guard
For the start of the season, Houston will have third-year guard Amen Thompson starting. Amen is coming off a strong second season where he was inserted into the starting lineup after Jabari Smith junior suffered a hand injury. Amen had a phenomenal sophomore season and is poised to take yet another leap this season. For the Denver Nuggets, Christian Braun. While both Braun and Thompson are promising young players, I would personally take Thompson over Braun. If anything, Braun is overrated due to his role on the Nuggets’ championship team.
Advantage: Rockets
Small Forward
First up for the Rockets, Jabari Smith Jr. will likely re-enter the starting lineup after losing his starting spot to Amen Thompson once he returned from injury. Jabari is one of the Rockets I am most excited to see play with Kevin Durant, as their games are in many ways very similar. For the Denver Nuggets, their big offseason addition, Cam Johnson, will be starting. I went back and forth on this for hours, and honestly I think there is a case for either player here, but at the end of the day, I went with Jabari because he is younger and the better defender. I also expect Jabari to take a leap this season while playing with Kevin Durant.
Advantage: Rockets
Power Foward
At the Power Forward position, the one and only, the slim reaper himself, Kevin Durant, will be starting. For the Nuggets, Aaron Gordon will be starting at power forward. Gordon is a great player who can be a number three or even number two option on some nights, but Kevin Durant is an all-time great player give me the slim reaper here.
Advantage: Rockets
Center
Finally, at the Center Position starting for the Rockets is Alperen Sengun, and Nikola Jokic. Sengun is coming off an All-Star season, and if he can get his offense back on track, he will no doubt be one of the top centers in the league. However, for Denver, Nikola Jokic is starting, and nobody how little enjoyment Jokic appears to get from the game, he is one of the undisputed best players. However,r what will be fun to see is if Houston deploys Clint Capela, as he has historically given Jokic problems
Advantage: Nuggets
Overall, the Rockets win the head-to-head position battle 3-2. Now, this doesn’t mean that Houston is the better team, as Denver has the best or second-best player in the NBA, and their players are arguably more experienced since many of the Nuggets players were on the roster for the 2023 championship run. With all that said, are you all excited for the Nuggets-Rockets matchups? Who do you think takes this matchup?
