HOUDevelopment𝕏 Beat1h

Natural scorer still finding balance between hunting shots and creating for teammates in pick-and-roll.

“He's a scorer naturally, but a guy that handles quite a bit. And so you need to obviously learn those things, especially when you're playing with really good scorers... he's dynamic in the pick-and-roll. But you have to find that balance of when to look for your shot and when to find the pocket, find the skip pass, getting guys involved. And I think he's still doing that.”

HOUJabari Smith Jr.DevelopmentPresser1d

Smith Jr. is pushing to take more threes and attack closeouts more aggressively.

“I feel like I've made it a point to myself to try to get my three-point volume up and just be more aggressive as far as attacking close-offs and just playing my game.”

HOUKevin DurantMinutes & UsagePresser1d

Durant stays aggressive but a shift is coming as the young players grow more aggressive.

“But still want him to be who he is, be aggressive and take what the game gives him... But as our young guys grow and improve and get better, it's kind of a shift you're going to have. And they're going to be more aggressive.”

PHXDevelopment𝕏 Beat19m

Ott credits Fred VanVleet with giving Houston a calming veteran presence.

“A lot. It feels like a lot. Just more of a calming presence, veteran leader, and then an elite three-point shooter. He has to threat every time he's with the basketball and to make the right play or to shoot it. Just kind of settles him down at times. And he's just been through every situation possible. So defensively he's able to hold his own and offensively he's really able to orchestrate.”

PHXGameplan𝕏 Beat19m

Ott says Phoenix must keep Houston's one-on-one defenders out of the action and win the possession game against their elite rebounding.

“definitely the size, you know, and the way they've been shooting the basketball too. So they have a little bit of everything offensively and defensively. They've been elite so far this year. It's always the glass with them, offensive rebounding. And then defensively they're such great one-on-one on-ball defenders, trying to keep them out of the action the best we can, and then trying to win the possession game because, again, they rebound so well on both ends.”

PHXDillon Brooks · Miles Bridges · Oso Ighodaro · Jalen Green · Devin BookerNews𝕏 Beat31m

Suns starting five vs. Rockets: Brooks, Bridges, Ighodaro, Green, Booker.

“PHOENIX SUNS vs. HOUSTON ROCKETS STARTING LINEUPS – NOVEMBER 7, 2026”