When their 2025-26 preseason slate begins on Monday night, the Houston Rockets will have four established starters, according to head coach Ime Udoka.
The fifth, however, is subject to change and further review.
“For the most part we have four guys penciled in, and we’ll figure out what to with the fifth,” Udoka told Lachard Binkley (Rockets on SI) at Thursday’s practice.
Three of the four are clear, since Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson are widely viewed as star-level players. And while Udoka didn’t name the fourth, all indications are that it is Jabari Smith Jr., who started prior to a hand injury last January.
Smith previously earned praise from Udoka for a strong offseason and was widely considered as likely to return to Houston’s starting lineup, even before Fred VanVleet suffered a potentially season ending knee injury.
As for the final spot, it is unlikely to go (at least initially) to veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who is still recovering from offseason ankle surgery and is unlikely to be cleared by the Oct. 21 regular-season opener.
So, that leaves guard Reed Sheppard; wing Tari Eason; and center Steven Adams.
Ultimately, it could come down to matchups or Udoka’s stylistic preferences, and it might change depending on the opponent.
“It could be,” Udoka said of potentially changing his lineup on a regular basis. “It’s something we looked at, regardless of before Fred was [injured]. But at the same time, continuity is good, and keeping guys confident and not second-guessing. It takes some maturity if you want to do that kind of rotational lineup, and some things are beneficial to start that way.”
“But at the same time, guys are taking some steps and showed a lot of progress and worked extremely hard, so you want to reward that,” Udoka added. “We’ll see what we get to.”
Sheppard is the closest archetype to VanVleet, in terms of a traditional point guard with ball-handling abilities and 3-point shooting. Then again, Sheppard is also the least proven when it comes to providing consistent value as an NBA rotation player.
Eason offers the most defensive versatility, as a 6-foot-8 wing with the potential to switch and guard a number of different positions. That could have immense value for a Houston squad that prides itself on playing elite defense.
Finally, Adams provides the benefits of size, rebounding, and physicality, as shown in Houston’s successful ‘double big’ lineups from late last season.
In the latter two scenarios, Thompson would take over as the official “point guard” and primary playmaker, which he did at times during VanVleet’s injury absences last season.
The first opportunity for an evaluation versus other teams comes in Monday’s home preseason opener against the Atlanta Hawks, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Central from Toyota Center. The game will be televised regionally on Space City Home Network.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Entering preseason, Ime Udoka says Rockets are still evaluating starting lineup
Reporting by Ben DuBose, Rockets Wire / Rockets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
