Rockets are stunningly close to being the NBA's deepest team yet again

As the Houston Rockets have continued to soar to the upper echelons of the Western Conference, they have, unfortunately, done so largely without the help of two of their key players: forwards Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith

Yet, with head coach Ime Udoka announcing prior to yesterday's game against the Sacramento Kings that Eason, hopefully, would be returning sometime this month and Finney-Smith would be returning sometime in January, this team is now inching closer to yet again having the most versatile roster in the NBA.

While Finney-Smith has yet to play a game for the Rockets as he continues to rehab an offseason ankle surgery, the injection of the energy, perimeter shooting and defensive intensity that both of them could provide to the team will be massive for their ability to sustain this level of performance as the season wears on.

Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith will make the Rockets even more dangerous when they return

After a slow first couple games of the season, Eason burst into 2025-26 looking like he was ready to show Houston the error in their ways regarding his lack of a contract extension. Excluding those first two games and the game in which he got injured, Eason was averaging 14.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting a ridiculous 56.8% from 3-point range.

While veteran guard Aaron Holiday has stepped up majorly in his absence, almost no one on the Rockets' roster provides the same level of intensity and two-way burst that Eason does.

Houston, moreover, still has a serious need for additional perimeter shooting, and Finney-Smith should be able to provide just that when he returns sometime next month. Last season, between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets, Finney-Smith averaged 8.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 41.1% from beyond the arc.

Additionally, as a capable perimeter defender, Finney-Smith should fit almost seamlessly into the Rockets' rotation when he is eventually healthy.

Since Eason's absence, the team has gone 6-2: a testament both to their resilience and the versatility of their rotation. Yet, through that stretch, there have also been games where Houston could benefit majorly from a burst of energy off the bench, and both Eason and Finney-Smith should be capable of providing that in the near future.

Therefore, as wild as it may seem for a team that is near the top of the NBA in almost every offensive category, the Rockets will soon be getting much, much better as some of their most important players return to the fold.