Aaron Holiday hit with Rockets gut punch after harsh preseason truth

The Houston Rockets have a number of options to consider as they try to replace the injured Fred VanVleet in their starting lineup and rotation. Unfortunately for Aaron Holiday, it appears that the franchise has already decided that he will be at the bottom of their list of solutions.

The Rockets came out of the offseason with three true guards on the roster. VanVleet was a former All-Star and two-way star who fit the Rockets' vision for the team perfectly. Behind him was the steady veteran Holiday and the raw rising sophomore Reed Sheppard.

Many teams around the NBA are experimenting with different lineup combinations. The Houston Rockets, however, have made it clear that 80 percent of the starting lineup is set: Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun. All that's left is to pick the final starter.

Holiday should be a candidate for that final spot. He was above the rookie Sheppard in the pecking order last season, playing 62 games (even starting three times on behalf of VanVleet) and shooting 39.8 percent from deep on 8.2 attempts per 36 minutes. He isn't reinventing the wheel, and everyone understands that Sheppard's upside is higher, but in terms of who is the better fit offensively and defensively? Holiday has a very real case.

Aaron Holiday isn't in the mix for a big role

Yet through two preseason games, it seems clear that the Rockets are not even considering Holiday as a candidate for the final starting spot, nor even as the top backup option if Houston decides to start "big" with Amen Thompson at the point. He is not just behind Sheppard, he may be outside of the rotation altogether.

In the Rockets' preseason opener, Holiday came off the bench behind Sheppard and played exclusively in bench-heavy lineups. What's more, he played late in the game, when all of the rotation players were jawing it up safely on the bench. Holiday was on the court with the likes of Isaiah Crawford, Kevon Harris and Cameron Matthews -- that's a couple of players on two-way contracts and someone destined for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers this season.

It was the same general story against the Utah Jazz in Houston's second game. Holiday was clearly behind Sheppard once again, and he played late into the fourth quarter once the rotation players were long gone. Through two games the message is clear: Sheppard is the guy, and Holiday is merely depth at the position.

Perhaps things circle back around for Holiday. Perhaps the Rockets realize they need an actual point guard who can set up the offense and defend opposing guards, who can shoot off-ball but also make plays with the ball. Holiday is no Fred VanVleet, but he's the closest thing that they have.

For now, however, the gut punch of the preseason has to have hit Holiday hard. He isn't the starter, and he isn't the backup. He's down at the bottom of the ladder, and that's a hard place to be when you saw a glimpse of a better future before it was snatched away.