Early thoughts on the Rockets’ 15-man roster

The regular season opener with the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 26 is right around the corner. With the regular season fast approaching, so is training camp and the preseason... Folks it will be here before you know it.

With that in mind, here is a look at how I see things shaking out on the final roster. Things can change with trades or Donatas Motiejunas finally signing a contract, but as of right now, this is my take on the roster.

Joshua Reese

PG: They may say Patrick Beverley is the starter, but the actions speak louder than words. They brought Mike D'Antoni to run an up-tempo offense, Pablo Prigioni can play that style but he is a 10-minute-a-game type of guy. James Harden is the go-to guy here.

SG: Eric Gordon was brought in to give the team more of a scoring punch, he can do that by allowing Harden to shift to the point which would give the team a true 1-2 punch. Corey Brewer provides rotation depth and if K.J. McDaniels impressive early, he could make Brewer expendable.

SF: Harden gets a lot of credit for being an iron man in the NBA, but Trevor Ariza has played almost as much as him. Count him in for about 30-32 minutes a game at a minimum. Brewer and a healthy Sam Dekker fill out the rest of the depth chart, and McDaniels could find time too.

PF: Ryan Anderson was a guy who the team has coveted for years, the Rockets have always been searching for a stretch four and now they have him. Michael Beasley will give the Rockets a different look at four when they go to him (which will be plenty). Montrezl Harrell provides a very tough, dirty work player; he could see more of the floor this season. Dekker and McDaniels provide some small ball options. Kyle Wiltjer is a deep option that could make the team and fill Motiejunas' void (long-term), would spend the season in the D-League.

C: Clint Capela gets a chance to shine and become one of the best young players in the NBA. Nene gives the team a good veteran backup providing 17-25 minutes a game, someone that can handle some of the bigger bodied centers. Anderson and Beasley are likely guys they can turn to in small ball situations. Chinanu Onuaku should spend the whole year down in the D-League.

With a quick glance, you can see the Rockets will have a lot of different things they can do with the lineup next year. Offensively, the options are endless, Anderson can play the five, and, while it's small ball, they can still stay big by keeping Beasley in at the four.

It might take a while for the Rockets future roster mad scientist in D'Antoni to settle in on a rotation he likes and is comfortable with, but until then expect to see a lot of different funky looks.