Jabari Smith Jr. could be ousted from starting lineup if surging rumors are true

As the Houston Rockets appear poised to contend for a championship in 2025-26, every single decision that head coach Ime Udoka makes will have massive implications for the ongoing viability and performance of this roster.

Now, with his comments at a Rockets' community event concerning the fact that the fifth spot in the starting line-up has yet to be determined, it remains a distinct possibility that dynamic young forward Jabari Smith Jr. could be ousted in favor of a catch-and-shoot threat in Dorian Finney-Smith.

While this solution would have numerous implications on the roster, it remains an intriguing question as the team prepares for training camp.

Dorian Finney-Smith could ultimately earn a starting spot this season

Through his first two seasons in the NBA, Smith started every single game he played for the Rockets. However, after breaking his hand in the middle of last season, Smith ultimately spent some time, including the entirety of the team's first-round matchup, coming off the bench.

As a 12.2 point-per-game scorer and a more than capable rebounder and defensive threat on the interior, Smith would normally be someone you would start in a heartbeat at your four-spot. Yet, Houston is an exceedingly strange position this season.

With the addition of Durant, the team now has a go-to scorer in clutch minutes who can be relied upon to propel their offense in the most necessary moments over the course of the season. However, sending of Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks back to the Phoenix Suns in the trade also stripped Houston of a significant portion of their perimeter shooting ability.

Their signing of Dorian Finney-Smith this offseason, in theory, is supposed to be part of the solution to this issue. Yet, if his minutes are limited by positional overlap, how much impact will he really have?

When Udoka was asked about if Smith is already slated for the starting role, he said, "It’s to be determined. I do think Jabari showed tremendous growth this offseason... But we’ll take a look at everything. We feel we have incredible depth this year and a lot of versatility, so we could go a number of different ways, as far as that."

Smith, as a developing young player, has played an integral role on the Rockets through essentially all of his young career. Yet, if Finney-Smith, who shot 41.1% from 3-point range last season between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, can help bolster the team's starting lineup with his 3-and-D skill-set, it is highly possible we could see the veteran wing being slotted into Smith's position.

In many ways, the Rockets are the envy of many teams to have this type of versatility within their rotation. Yet, in other ways, one does not want to be put in the position of having to bench their growing young star, making this an exceedingly difficult tightrope to navigate as the season begins.