The Houston Rockets are wasting no time managing their veteran load.
Ahead of the start of the season, Ime Udoka said Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams will sit out back-to-backs to open the year. That means both players are expected to miss one half of those schedule pairs, and the Rockets already have a plan for what that looks like when VanVleet is out: Marcus Smart will start at point guard, not Reed Sheppard, according to @WillGuillory on Twitter.
The setup makes sense on at least one level. Adams is 33 and just went through left ankle surgery in January, an issue that wiped out the final 42 games of the regular season and the entire postseason.
VanVleet, now 32, missed the entire previous season because of a left leg ailment. And this isn’t exactly a one-off concern for Adams either; in three of the last four seasons, his availability has been heavily interrupted or his year has ended early.
Houston’s schedule only adds to the need for caution. The Rockets have 13 back-to-backs this season, beginning with a Friday-Saturday set in opening week.
Smart’s name in the starting five is the part that stands out a little more. He’s entering his 13th NBA season after signing a two-year, $12.4 million contract this summer, and he has experience in that role from his time starting for Udoka’s Celtics team that reached the 2022 NBA Finals.
As for Sheppard, Udoka made it clear he still has a major role. The third-year guard appeared in all 82 regular-season games and six postseason games for Houston last season, and the coach reaffirmed that he remains a significant part of what the Rockets want to do in Sheppard’s third NBA season.
In Other News...
Marcus Smart Is Giving The Rockets A Reason To Believe
Marcus Smart didnt need long to make his case in Houstons second preseason game, turning in a lively all-around effort that fit neatly with what the Rockets want from him. In 24 minutes, he brought scoring, rebounding and playmaking to the table, the kind of veteran presence that can stabilize a young roster and give Fred VanVleet another backcourt partner who can handle the ball or function away from it.
The bigger takeaway for the Rockets is how naturally Smarts versatility can slide into multiple lineup looks if the shot keeps following him. His three-point work was encouraging, and Houston will be watching to see whether cleaner shot selection can make that part of his game even more efficient as the season approaches. If it does, the Rockets may have more than just an experienced defender on their hands. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Open Against A Mavericks Frontcourt Problem That Could Matter Fast
Opening night brings the Houston Rockets a Dallas frontcourt that is already short-handed, and the matchup is shaped as much by availability as by star power. Kyrie Irving is set to make his return to NBA action for the Mavericks, but Dallas is dealing with several injured players and the big-man rotation is especially thin heading into the game.
Dereck Lively II is out because of right foot surgery, leaving an immediate hole in the middle for a team that could use every body it can get. Houston has its own injury watch to track as well, with Steven Adams and Julian Phillips listed as questionable, so the opening-week frontcourt picture is still fluid on both sides. [Read more 🡒]
Mavs Still Have A Rotation Problem Heading Into Houston
The Rockets will get a look at a Dallas group still trying to sort out its backcourt rotation early in the season, a problem that has followed the Mavericks into their matchup in Houston. The issue is not just about shuffling names around on the depth chart. It is about how Dallas handles point guard minutes, how it manages the wear and tear of the schedule, and how that balance will shape the tone of the first stretch of games.
Fred VanVleet is part of that equation, along with Steven Adams, and the workload picture is already being watched closely as the season opens. Houston does not need to solve Dallas rotation for it, but the Rockets do benefit from any uncertainty the Mavericks bring into the game, especially if their preferred lineup combinations are still being sorted out before tipoff. [Read more 🡒]