Houston Rockets vs Atlanta Hawks Preseason Game Predicted Starting Lineups and Depth Charts

The Houston Rockets will take on the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena in one of five NBA preseason games scheduled for Thursday. This will be the final preseason game for both teams.

The Rockets have had a huge summer after crashing out of the 2025 playoffs in the first round. The team is leaning on Kevin Durant to lead them next season after acquiring him in a seven-team trade in exchange for franchise cornerstone Jalen Green.

Apart from Durant, Houston has also made up for many of its deficiencies by bringing in Clint Capela, JD Davison, Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Okogie. On paper, the Rockets seem like a legitimate contender in the Western Conference.

The Hawks have also made important changes after failing to win a single playoff series since 2021. The team cleared house, seeing to the departures of Kobe Bufkin, Clint Capela, Caris LeVert, Terrance Mann, Larry Nance Jr., David Roddy and Georges Niang.

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We've already seen the new-look Hawks take on the Rockets in their first preseason game on Oct. 6. Houston won that game 122-113 as Alperen Sengun recorded a team-high 19 points.

Houston Rockets vs Atlanta Hawks Injury Reports for Oct. 16

Houston Rockets injury report

The Rockets have a fairly clean bill of health heading into Thursday’s game against the Hawks. Dorian Finney-Smith is listed as doubtful and is not expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.

Meanwhile, Jae’Sean Tate is listed as questionable with an ankle injury, but is expected to be available for the season opener. Lastly, Fred VanVleet is out and could miss the entirety of the 2025-26 season as he recovers from an ACL injury.

Atlanta Hawks injury report

The Atlanta Hawks, meanwhile, don’t have any players listed on their injury report ahead of Thursday’s game and will take on the Rockets at full strength.

Houston Rockets vs Atlanta Hawks Starting Lineups and Depth Charts for Oct. 16

Houston Rockets starting lineup and depth charts

The Rockets are expected to start Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun.

Point Guard	Shooting Guard	Small Forward	Power Forward	Center
Reed Sheppard	Amen Thompson	Kevin Durant	Jabari Smith Jr.	Alperen Sengun
Aaron Holiday	Josh Okogie	Tari Eason	Jeff Green	Steven Adams
JD Davison	Kevon Harris			Clint Capela

Atlanta Hawks starting lineup and depth charts

The Atlanta Hawks are expected to start Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson and Kristaps Porzingis.

Point Guard	Shooting Guard	Small Forward	Power Forward	Center
Trae Young	Dyson Daniels	Zaccharie Risacher	Jalen Johnson	Kristaps Porzingis
Luke Kennard	Nickeil Alexander-Walker	Vit Krejci	Asa Newell	Onyeka Okongwu
Keaton Wallace	Luke Kennard		Mouhamed Gueye	Eli John N’Diaye

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

Know More

Hawks Fan? Check out the latest Hawks depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

Edited by Sameer Khan

Houston Rockets vs Atlanta Hawks Preseason Game Predicted Starting Lineups and Depth Charts | Oct. 16, 2025