Rockets could grant G-League MVP his longtime wish

As the Houston Rockets enter the 2025-26 NBA season with one of the deepest rosters in the league, a major need still presents itself: depth in the backcourt.

Therefore, reigning G-League MVP JD Davison, whom the Rockets signed this offseason in a minor transaction, could finally get a real opportunity at an NBA role after being sidelined in the deep Boston Celtics' rotation for the first few years of his career.

Davison, 22, has had a limited NBA role since he was chosen 53rd overall out of Alabama, but, as a bona-fide scorer and ball-handler, he could now get the chance to earn minutes under Ime Udoka.

JD Davison could finally get an NBA opportunity with the Rockets

Davison, through 30 games last season with the Maine Celtics of the G-League, averaged an astounding 25.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists, taking home the G-League MVP and earning himself a standard NBA contract in the process.

Yet, somewhat confusingly, he was waived by Boston following the conclusion to the season, eventually signing a two-way contract with Houston in what represented a move that went largely unnoticed in the grand scheme of the offseason.

Throughout his NBA career, Davison has been limited in opportunities by the deep Celtics backcourt, averaging only 5.5 minutes across his 36 career NBA games to this point.

Yet, the Rockets, as it stands, have a desperate need for a player in their backcourt who can pass the ball. While the trade of Jalen Green to the Phoenix Suns made perfect sense, given the fact that it yielded superstar scorer Kevin Durant, the team now has little backcourt depth behind veteran guard Fred VanVleet.

While Aaron Holiday has proven himself as a role player, and is capable of putting up points when needed, he is not necessarily a reliable ball-handler and should not be considered a viable solution to the team's lack of a bench unit playmaker. Reed Sheppard, meanwhile, possesses the talent and the court vision to do so, but he has not yet proven himself as even a rotational player, let alone a deeply effective bench ball-handler.

The major concern in Davison's game, therefore, comes in the immense volume he needed to put up the numbers he did in the G-League. Across those 30 games, the young guard averaged 19.2 field-goal attempts. He will almost certainly begin the season in the G-League with an emphasis on honing in his game in that manner.

Yet, if Houston's need proves to be as dire as it might be, it is highly possible that we could see Davison's contract converted sooner rather than later, and, given the potential of his skill-set as a role player, he could finally get an opportunity to crack the Rockets' rotation.