Rockets have made their stance on Dorian Finney-Smith crystal clear

As the Houston Rockets head into the 2025-26 NBA season, much of their roster will need to change and conform around their addition of superstar scorer Kevin Durant.

Now, however, head coach Ime Udoka has hinted at the surprising idea that the fifth starting spot could be earned in training camp, and, with this announcement, the organization has made clear that Finney-Smith will have the opportunity to earn a role in the starting lineup.

While a player such as Jabari Smith Jr. will certainly have the first shot at such a role, given his youth and importance to the Rockets over the past few seasons, Finney-Smith's perimeter shooting ability could be what it takes to put this team over the top.

Dorian Finney-Smith will have the chance to compete for a starting spot

Houston, who finished with the second seed in the Western Conference last season and already looked poised to contend for a championship, had a huge offseason, bringing in a trio of players who will all be difference-makers in one way or another for this roster.

Finney-Smith, however, may have gone as a underrated on unnoticed signing in the landscape of the league as a whole. Last season, through 63 games between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, Finney-Smith averaged 8.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

More importantly, however, he shot 41.1% from beyond the arc: a skill-set that Houston desperately needs to improve upon if they want a shot at a championship run.

Smith, meanwhile, has averaged only 34% from 3-point range across his three-year career, and, although he provides a wingspan and interior defensive skill-set that Finney-Smith does not, this is what the decision for the starting spot could ultimately come down to.

When asked about the possibility of the fifth starting spot being open to competition, Udoka said, "It’s to be determined. I do think Jabari showed tremendous growth this offseason... But we’ll take a look at everything. We feel we have incredible depth this year and a lot of versatility, so we could go a number of different ways, as far as that."

Outside of Durant, the Rockets do now have another serious 3-point shooter in their starting lineup. Although VanVleet has, at times throughout his career, been a solid perimeter shooter, he's shot under 35% two of the past three seasons and should not be relied upon to keep the team afloat in that category.

Therefore, while many thought that Finney-Smith would be an ideal bench pick-up for Houston, making them an even deeper team than they already were, he could now make a surprising run at a starting spot as a result of his unique skill-set.