For many teams, the next six weeks leading up to the NBA trade deadline will represent a time of searching: searching for the difference-making player that will cement them as genuine contenders. For the Houston Rockets, however, their difference-making piece may have already returned.
Dorian Finney-Smith, who has been sidelined as he recovered from offseason ankle surgery, made his Rockets debut on Christmas against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Although he played just 13 minutes and took only one shot, it is clear that his skill-set is exactly what is needed to balance Houston's rotation. As a lengthy, 3-and-D player capable of filling in at both forward positions, Finney-Smith could represent the addition that most teams can only gain through trade.