One lineup change the Rockets must consider throughout 2025-26

The Houston Rockets are expected to bring Tari Eason off the bench in 2025-26. Eason may force them to reevaluate that strategy.

That's not to say it's the wrong idea. There are benefits to bringing Eason off the bench. He's a sparkplug who energizes the team as soon as he gets on the floor. Putting Eason in the game when opposing teams are already feeling fatigue can be a recipe for disaster for those teams.

Is he a tailor-made sixth man?

Rockets' Eason destroys second units

Eason is a wrecking ball. Letting him do his destruction to an already-weakened base makes sense.

Moreover, we need to look at whose spot he'd be taking. Inevitably, that would be Jabari Smith Jr. It's fair to say that bringing Smith Jr. off the bench doesn't have the same utility.

Where Eason is explosive and game-altering, Smith Jr. is more of a steady hand. His superior shooting makes him a more portable piece. Smith Jr. is a more obvious complement to the rest of the Rockets' starters.

Some will argue that I'm rendering my own argument pointless. The most intuitively sensible thing to do is to start Smith Jr., and give Eason a starter's share of minutes between both forward spots (and maybe even the 2).

Why entertain anything else?

Rockets should put their best groups on the floor

In 2024-25, Eason had a 3.6 Box Plus/Minus (BPM). Smith Jr.'s BPM was -0.7.

In this case, BPM is capturing reality. Eason has been far more impactful than Smith Jr. throughout their careers. It hasn't even been close.

At some point, the Rockets should start their best players, right? If Eason is once again the far better player, it might make sense to put him in the starting lineup.

Perhaps it's a moot point. The real questions pertain to minute distribution. If Eason is playing 30 minutes per game, Smith Jr. is playing 15, but the starting lineup remains unchanged, it's inconsequential. Yet, it could be equally argued that bringing Eason off the bench is pointless as well.

That's not to say Smith Jr. isn't worth more than 15 minutes per game either. This isn't meant to be a hit piece. There are still good reasons to believe Smith Jr. can be a vital part of this team.

There's also good reason to think he could be a good reserve. Smith Jr. can play all three frontcourt positions. His versatility could be best utilized off the bench if the Rockets have a better starter in waiting.

Ultimately, Rockets fans should trust Ime Udoka to make the right decision. He knows what's best for this roster:

No matter what he does with Eason, rest assured that he'll make a tremendous impact again in 2025-26.