Rockets make their stance on veteran guard crystal clear in Tari Eason's absence

As the Houston Rockets continue their excellent play, the absence of one key player, Tari Eason, has gone relatively under the radar.

Yet, the Rockets' decision to send forward Jae'Sean Tate to the G-League has massive implications for the heirarchy of the rotation in his absence, essentially guaranteeing veteran guard Aaron Holiday extended run for the time being.

Early in the season, it appeared as though Holiday was cut out of the rotation entirely, and, in many ways, Tate may have been the ideal player to step into Eason's role. Nevertheless, it certainly appears as though Holiday is set to take on an extensive bench role for the near future, and he must make the most of it in order to prolong his career in Houston.

Aaron Holiday will get his chance to play while Tari Eason is out

As the Rockets entered the season, it appeared as though head coach Ime Udoka was intent on keeping the rotation tight. He gave bench minutes only to Steven Adams, Clint Capela, Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard, and players such as Tate and Holiday were confined solely to garbage time.

While Eason struggled early in the season, he was rapidly finding his footing prior to his injury as he averaged 13.6 points, five rebounds and one assist in the five games leading up to his early exit against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Across his three full seasons in the NBA, Eason has become a beloved player of both fans and the coaching staff as a result of his intense and galvanizing play off the bench on a night-to-night basis. In many ways, Holiday, with his reliable playmaking and experience in is role, was the right choice to take over these minutes.

Including the Portland game, Holiday has averaged 15.3 minutes, posting 9.8 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists while shooting 55% from the field since Eason's injury. These are certainly not Eason numbers, but, given the team's lack of backcourt depth, Holiday provides an additional ball-handling and perimeter shooting presence that they desperately need.

This, combined with the sheer value of his NBA experience, is likely what made the difference between him and Tate in Udoka's eyes.

Therefore, it certainly seems as though those 15-ish minutes will be Holiday's to lose as long as Eason is absent, and, if he wishes to maintain a role in the rotation upon Eason's return, he must continue to provide production on a nightly basis.