Rockets' guard could shock fans with one simple preseason development

As the Houston Rockets enter the 2025-26 NBA season, one of their main priorities in training camp and beyond must be to sort out who is most suited to take on minutes in their backcourt, and, so far, a number of guards have gotten the opportunity to take a stab at it.

Among these guards has been reigning G-League MVP JD Davison, who signed a two-way contract with the Rockets this past offseason, and, according to USA Today's Ben Dubose on the most recent episode of the Rockets LaunchPod podcast, Davison has real potential to take on serious rotational minutes for the team.

Although starting point guard duties will likely be split between some combination of Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard given their offensive ceilings, a player like Davison could be the ideal offensive weapon to keep hidden in their wings.

JD Davison has a skill-set that almost no one on the Rockets provides

With VanVleet, who averaged 35.2 minutes and 5.6 assists per game last season, likely out for the whole season with an ACL injury, Houston now has a massive, massive void to fill, and to do so likely means to get creative with the way players are utilized based on matchups.

According to Dubose, this reality could leave Davison in a position to take on a share of 10-15 minutes per game in the backcourt if the conditions are right: "I do think JD has more to his game than Aaron Holiday does, and he also, on some nights, might have more than Reed Sheppard. I think Reed in year two is going to be a little matchup-dependent, and JD with the athleticism and how thick he is has the potential to perhaps excel in some matchups where Reed is a little too small..."

Last season, with the Maine Celtics, Davison went on an absolute offensive tear, averaging 25.1 points. 5.3 rebounds and 7.6 assists through 30 games with Boston's affiliate.

Now, in the preseason with the Rockets, Davison has played a combined 39 minutes between the team's two games, scoring 25 points and going 9-of-16 from the field.

While Davison's production has been relatively impressive for a player of his role thus far into the preseason, what is more significant is the run that head coach Ime Udoka has granted the young guard.

As DuBose points out, the team has ample reason to be uncertain about Sheppard's ability to take on viable minutes on a night-in and night-out basis, and Davison, 6'1", 195 lbs, presents a more physically dominating game than Sheppard is typically capable of.

Therefore, if the team can get reliable offensive production elsewhere throughout their rotation, look for them to get creative with who will take on minutes in the backcourt, and Davison could certainly compete with Holiday for that role.