Rockets' starting lineup conundrum also reveals their biggest strength

As the Houston Rockets enter the 2025-26 NBA season, their most pressing conundrum lies in sorting out who their fifth starter will be alongside Alperen Sengun, Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet.

With head coach Ime Udoka's recent proclamation that the spot will be determined in training camp, the Rockets have certainly presented themselves with a pressing issue to be solved, but, in the sheer number of options they have to take on the role, they have also revealed to the league just how deep their rotation runs.

As was seen in the last NBA finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers, depth is now what wins championships in the NBA's new financial landscape, and Houston, insofar as they have such versatility, are well-poised to compete this season.

The Rockets have an absurd amount of versatility in determining their starting lineup

With the team's acquisition of superstar Kevin Durant, it was immediately clear that the team would need to alter its approach from last season in order to conform to the touches he will demand on offense.

Accordingly, Thompson will likely slide back to the shooting guard slot, leaving a space in the frontcourt open next to Durant. This leaves three possible starters, each with their own unique skill-set: Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith.

Smith, as the team's starter at power forward for much of the past three seasons, is the presumptive favorite to win the role. Although he spent time on the bench at the end of last season as he eased back from injury, he still averaged 11.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists in the 39 games he started in 2024-25. At 6'11" he presents the Rockets with the versatility to play big at the start of games, bullying teams in the paint and drawing even more of opposing defenses off of Durant.

Eason, as an electrifying piece of the team's bench unit, presents an intriguing proposition as well. Although moving him into the starting lineup would likely slide Durant back to power forward, the intense style of his game and his ability to defend on the perimeter would add a change of pace alongside Thompson at the team's wing positions.

Finney-Smith, moreover, would bring something that Houston sorely needs in their starting line-up: additional perimeter shooting. Last season, through 63 games between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, Finney-Smith shot 41.1% from 3-point range, and his addition to the starting lineup would allow the team to space the floor much more effectively.

Therefore, given the fact that the Rockets have so much versatility in their rotation, it is likely that each of these players will get stretches in the starting lineup early on in the season. While they present clearly distinct paths for Udoka to choose from, the different roles they are capable of playing showcase just how deep this team truly is.