It took just one preseason game for Rockets to find solution to biggest problem

The Houston Rockets are lacking backcourt depth. In their preseason opener against the Hawks, JD Davidson may have offered a solution to that problem. The solution?

Play him.

Granted, we should think twice before drawing conclusions from the results of preseason games. It's not the same competition level that Davidson will face in the regular season.

That said, it's impossible to know how a player will fare in the regular season until you, you know, play them in the regular season. Davidson deserves a chance.

He proved that against the Hawks.

Rockets' young guard has potential

Specifically, Davidson finished the game with 17 points and 4 assists. He was 6/9 from the field and 5/7 from deep. Davidson was unconscious from long-range. What do the Rockets need more than three-point shooting?

Granted, Davidson hasn't always been a three-point sniper. He's shooting 28.1% from deep for his career so far. Even that doesn't paint the full picture. Davidson shot 28.6% as a rookie, 42.9% as a sophomore, and 22.2% in his third year.

Ultimately, Davidson has only shot 32 threes at the NBA level. That's too small a sample size. His 30.1% shooting in college isn't encouraging, but players can improve in the league as well.

He also provides other skills than shooting. Davidson is a capable ball-handler. He made his name as a defender heading into the NBA Draft. Davidson is an aggressive point-of-attack defender. We know Ime Udoka loves guys who defend:

So should he play Davidson in 2025-26?

Rockets should give Davidson a chance

Why not?

Listen - the Rockets are light on options. There is a world where Davidson surpasses Aaron Holiday in 2025-26, and that's all he'd have to do to justify playing time.

There's also a world where he's not the right fit. Davidson could see minutes early, struggle, and get buried on the bench. The Rockets could ultimately cut him.

That would be fine too.

Here's the question: What do the Rockets have to lose? They don't have enough cap space to even offer a veteran's minimum. Filling the vacancy in their backcourt with someone like Russell Westbrook is not possible.

So, why not give Davidson the nod? If it works out, the Rockets could avoid a midseason trade. You have to give something up to get something valuable. Meanwhile, Davidson is on the Rockets right now:

They ought to see if he's valuable or not.