The outlets covering Houston spent Thursday on breakouts for Smith and Sengun, a faster identity, Kyrie Irving's rough return and Tari Eason's ejection. The box score supports the scoring and the ball movement, but the bigger claims need more than one game against Dallas.
Last season
Any claim of a leap has last year's numbers to beat. Houston went 52-30 with a 117.5 offensive rating, a 112.1 defensive mark and a pace of 97.0. Durant led at 26.0 points a night. Smith averaged 15.8 points and shot 36.3% from deep. Sengun put up 20.4 points, 8.9 boards and 6.2 assists. A new identity or a breakout has to move those numbers across months, not one night.
October 20-21
Before tipoff, the coverage asked who sets this team's ceiling. The Athletic cast Fred VanVleet as ready to take the blame. Space City Scoop called Amen Thompson the key to Houston's full potential and said Marcus Smart already gives hope on the team's biggest issues. The Dream Shake reported a team update on VanVleet and Steven Adams for back-to-backs, plus the backup point guard spot. The Thompson case still depends on a jumper that hit 21.6% from deep last season.
Opening night
The Athletic saw a new, fast-paced identity in the 128-110 win, with Durant and VanVleet standing out. VanVleet's line backs up his part: 11 assists, three steals, zero turnovers, +19. ESPN's MacMahon reported that Irving was hounded in his return, and Irving finished with 15 points and four turnovers in 24 minutes. MacMahon also reported that Eason was ejected after shoving P.J. Washington in the back. The pace claim is the unproven part, measured against last season's 97.0.
October 22
Space City Scoop made two breakout cases: that Smith's has arrived for good, and that Sengun has the opening for another. Smith's 30 points on 11-of-17, with four threes, is an outlier next to his 15.8 average, and making it stick means raising his outside percentage. Sengun's case is on firmer ground, with 23 points, 10 boards and a team-best +23 in 30 minutes. The same outlet called Udoka the opener's biggest winner, after his starters produced 105 of the 128 points.
This weekend
The back-to-back is here: Houston plays at San Antonio Friday and at Atlanta Saturday. Adams (right calf) and Reed Sheppard (left knee) are both day-to-day with an estimated return of October 23. Sheppard had Houston's lowest plus-minus on opening night, -5 in 16 minutes. The Spurs went 62-20 with a 118.7 offensive rating last season. They opened 0-1 and list Tobias Harris as day-to-day and Jayden Quaintance as out.
Why was Tari Eason ejected against the Mavericks?
ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported that Eason was ejected after shoving P.J. Washington in the back during Houston's 128-110 win.
Will Reed Sheppard and Steven Adams play at San Antonio?
Both are listed day-to-day, Sheppard with a left knee issue and Adams with a right calf issue. Both have an estimated return of October 23, the date of the Spurs game.
