The NBA season-opening games on Tuesday gave fans a preview of a season that will feature some big changes.
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Golden State Warriors to begin the 2025-2026 NBA season.
In the Thunder vs. the Rockets game, viewers could immediately notice a quickly growing NBA trend: Skilled big men are no longer limited to the center position.
The Rockets had an average starting height of 6 feet, 10 inches, which has not been seen since the 1970-1971 season. On the opposing side of the game, the Thunder had Chet Holmgren standing at 7 feet 1 inch and handling the ball.
These big men can shoot as well: The Rockets shot 39 three-pointers and Holmgren shot five alone. In comparison, Shaquille O’Neil, one of the most famous centers, shot only 22 three-pointers in his entire career.
Kevin Durant’s first game as a Rocket was impressive, given that the Rockets fell by only one point to the previous NBA champions, thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander’s last-second free throws in the second overtime.
In the Warriors’ win, Luka Doncic scored 40 percent of his entire team’s points with 43, a career high in a season opener for him.
Both of these games gave fans a look at the NBA’s new rules.
The “high five rule” prohibits contact to a shooter’s hand after the shot. This will allow the opportunity for players to shoot many more free throws than before, and it will help the game of shooters such as Stephen Curry on the Warriors.
Under the “heave rule,” certain last-minute, long-distance shots will not count towards an individual player’s shooting percentage but only the team’s as a whole. These shots are seen often throughout the league, and so the rule will raise players’ shooting percentages.
