The Houston Rockets were dealt devastating injury news ten days ago when it was announced that Fred VanVleet would miss the entire 2025-26 season after tearing his ACL. Injury news of that magnitude this close to the start of the season would obviously throw a wrench in any team's plans. It turns out, however, that is not the only injury to a veteran that the Rockets are dealing with.
Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reported on Wednesday that offseason addition Dorian Finney-Smith underwent ankle surgery in June and has yet to return to full-contact practices. Head coach Ime Udoka said that he doesn't expect Finney-Smith to be available for Houston's season opener, and didn't specify how much longer the 32-year-old wing will be out.
This is a disappointing development for the Rockets, whose depth is already being tested early in the season. Finney-Smith is arguably the best three-and-D role player on the team, and getting him out of the equation will make things challenging for the Rockets, especially in terms of shooting and spacing.
Tari Eason Will Benefit the Most from Dorian Finney-Smith's Injury
The most interesting part of this news is who Udoka is considering to start in Finney-Smith's place. In Lerner's piece, Udoka reveals that Tari Eason may get consideration to start.
"Good to have athletic wing defenders that’ll do a lot of things that he does, especially with Dillon (Brooks) being gone, but still to be determined, and we’ll see what works well," Udoka said. "It’s not just about starting with me, as you know. It’s about what fits best, as far as our group. He wants to push for that. We want him to as well. And we’ll see if he gets it."
For Rockets fans who are familiar with Udoka's general philosophy, this may not come as a surprise. Udoka consistently prioritizes defense, size, and intensity over other aspects of the game. He is a defense-first head coach who wants his players to execute on that end of the floor above all else. Therefore, leaning towards Eason and his defensive versatility and toughness in the starting lineup makes some sense.
At the same time, who this pushes to the bench will be fascinating to watch. Alperen Sengun, Kevin Durant, and Amen Thompson are locks to start. If Finney-Smith is unavailable, the last two spots will be between Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard, Aaron Holiday, and, if Udoka is really feeling spicy, Steven Adams.
With his standing in the organization, one would assume that Smith would have the upper hand to start. Plus, with his shooting, he is likely a better fit. If Smith and Eason both start, however, that guard-less lineup doesn't have enough ball-handling and playmaking. Could we see Udoka start a super-sized lineup with no traditional point guard or shooting guard? While that would be a fascinating experiment to see, how realistic that is is another question.
Udoka will certainly try a variety of things until finding the groups that work the best. But it sounds like Eason will have an inside track to a large role to begin the season.