Rockets' biggest offseason signing has yet to play a single minute

The Houston Rockets had an explosive summer. Unfortunately, their biggest offseason signing hasn't seen a minute of action throughout 2025-26 so far.

That would be Dorian Finney-Smith. Kevin Durant was acquired through a trade. He stole the headlines, and rightly so - Durant is one of the biggest names the Rockets have ever acquired.

Yet, one couldn't undersell the significance of the Finney-Smith signing. He was one of the more valuable free agents on the market. The Rockets were lucky to acquire him:

But so far, it hasn't exactly paid dividends.

Rockets still waiting for Dorian Finney-Smith

The basic counting stats don't do Finney-Smith justice. In 2024-25, he averaged 7.9 points per game. He shot a solid 39.8% from three-point range, but to see his true value, you need to dig deeper.

Finney-Smith played for two teams last year. The Lakers were +17.1 when Finney-Smith was on the floor, and the Nets were +15.5 (both stats courtesy of CleaningTheGlass). This is one of the premier 3-and-D wings in the NBA. Simply put, Finney-Smith makes his team better.

It just doesn't matter if he can't play. When the Rockets signed Finney-Smith, there was no indication that he was injured. Fans expected him on opening night. Not only has he not played yet, but we have no timeline for his return.

It's unfortunate because the Rockets badly need him right now.

Rockets are suffering a rash of absences

Eason suffered a torn oblique. He should be back in a few weeks, or maybe a month. Kevin Durant is out for personal reasons. He'll be back soon, but having a high-calibre rotation player at his position would be useful right now.

There's an old truism around the NBA: The best ability is availability. It's hard to deny. It's impossible to help your team win basketball games if you aren't playing basketball.

Nobody should be holding this against Finney-Smith. He needs to put his health first. The Rockets don't deserve ire either. They knew they had a strong enough roster to weather Finney-Smith's absence. So, who's to blame here?

Nobody. It's that simple. This is just a frustrating situation. There's nothing to be done about it. All we can do is wait for Finney-Smith to get back:

Hopefully, he can make good on the excitement around his signing when he does.