4 Rockets who may not be in the nightly rotation this year

The Houston Rockets have a claim to be the deepest team in the NBA. They're so deep that some decent NBA players may not even crack their rotation.

That's a rarity in the NBA. For most teams, anyone after their 9th man is a guy who may not be able to count on regular minutes anywhere in the league. That's not so for the Rockets. This team's bench is lined with guys who'd have a chance to find real roles on shallower squads.

Here are four examples.

Jae'Sean Tate

When the Rockets were tanking, Tate was a rotation staple. Since they've transitioned to competitive basketball, his minutes have plummeted. In 2024-25, Tate averaged a career-low 11.3 minutes per game.

Tate is a complicated player. He works exceedingly hard, and he's a smart player. That said, at 6'4" with a 6'8" wingspan, he can't contribute as much as he'd like on the defensive end. Tate tries hard on both ends, but he's losing his rotation spot to taller players.

The fact that he's a subpar shooter doesn't help his case. On a team that was flush with floor spacing, Tate might find a more substantial role.

On the Rockets, he's likely to see his minutes slashed even further in 2025-26.

Jeff Green

When the team calls you "uncle", that's a hint. Your value is likely to come on the bench before it comes on the floor.

Green is a glorified player-coach. That's perfectly fine. His veteran presence is needed on a team that's still lined with youngsters. Still, there's no reason for Green's minutes to come at the expense of those young players.

He saw 12.4 minutes of action per game last year. Look for that number to decrease in 2025-26. The Rockets should be pleased to have Green the person back, but they have no incentive to prioritize Green the player.

Josh Okogie

Okogie has a stronger claim to minutes than either Green or Tate. Like Tate, he's 6'4" - but with a 7'0" wingspan, he's got more defensive utility. He saw 15.6 minutes of action per game between the Suns and the Hornets last season.

He surely understands that figure is going to drop. Why else would he sign a one-year, $3.1 million deal with a contender?

Okogie is solid. He's not better than Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr. or Dorian Finney-Smith. The Rockets have such an embarrasment of riches at the wing positions that they'll play wings at the 2. That's where Okogie is likely to see the most time if he does get on the floor:

But he's not guaranteed a spot in the regular rotation.

Clint Capela

I wasn't joking when I said the Rockets might be the deepest team in the NBA.

Last year, Capela averaged 21.4 minutes per game for the Hawks. He started 41 games. Now, he's a third string big on a loaded Rockets team.

Alperen Sengun is entrenched as the starter, and Steven Adams is likely to be more effective than Capela in most situations. The Swiss big man has lost a step since he was a dominant rim protector for the Harden-era Rockets.

He's still useful. He may be the most overqualified third-string big in the league. Nonetheless, he's likely to function as an injury insurance policy for the Rockets:

That's how deep they are.