Marcus Smart is officially a member of the Houston Rockets and recently had his introductory press conference on Tuesday. The former Defensive Player of the Year spoke about the Houston Rockets' potential last season as a competitor and now, as a member of the squad.

"This team is really scary. We're going to give some teams some problems."

Marcus Smart on joining the Rockets squad 🚀👀

(via @HoustonRockets) pic.twitter.com/nLsdRGUN4S

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 23, 2026

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“My perception, definitely on the outside looking in, was that d*mn this team is scary,” he said. “It's going to give some problems. You're really going to have to fight, and you're really going to have to work. That's playing against them, now playing with them. My perspective is still the same: d*mn this team is really scary, and we're going to give some teams some problems.”

The Houston Rockets brought back several contributors to their roster, including Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Amin Thompson, and Alperen Şengün. Smart is familiar with the players, as he faced off with them in the 2026 playoffs as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Heading into the series, the Lakers lost star players Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic to injury, leading many to believe that the Rockets would get an easy win over the Lakers to move into the next round.

But despite the injury misfortune, the Lakers' LeBron James and Marcus Smart were able to emerge victorious over the Rockets in six games. During the playoffs, Smart averaged 12.9 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.4 steals while shooting 34% from 3. One of the major plays in the series against the Rockets was Smart picking up a huge steal that ultimately led to the Lakers' comeback victory in Game 3 over the Rockets, which put the team up 3-0.