The Houston Rockets made a major shakeup this offseason, and they have to figure out to handle their new situation.
Over the past couple of months, Rockets fans have been celebrating the team’s addition of Kevin Durant. Adding one of the top players in league history to a 52-win team could lead to one of the best seasons of Houston basketball in recent memory.
However, that move also comes with some tough decisions, particularly for Ime Udoka. The Rockets’ head coach has helped turn the franchise around over the past couple of years, but he will have a tough task to determine the best starting lineup for his new-look squad.
Rockets fans make a clear decision on the fifth starter
Going into next season, it seems clear that Houston will be starting Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet. However, the Rockets have some options for the final spot.
In The Athletic’s recent survey of Rockets fans, Kelly Iko showed that there was an obvious choice among fans for who should take that fifth spot. With 76.4% of the vote, Jabari Smith Jr. overwhelmingly beat Tari Eason, Dorian Finney-Smith and Steven Adams.
While Smith is simply a tier above Eason and Finney-Smith at forward, fans showed a clear opinion that they would rather have a more modern look than go with a permanent double-big approach with Adams on the floor.
While Udoka and the Rockets probably won’t use the same five every night and will go with different looks depending on matchups, Smith as the regular starter appears to be what Houston fans want to see next season.
