As the Houston Rockets enter the preseason, there still remains a healthy amount of uncertainty surrounding who will ultimately make up their starting lineup.
While the devastating ACL injury Fred VanVleet sustained is a large reason for this uncertainty, so is the recent news that Dorian Finney-Smith, a free agent acquisition for Houston, will miss the beginning of the season as he continues his rehabilitation from an ankle surgery he had this offseason.
Therefore, althought the VanVleet injury already greatly increased the Rockets' chances of going big, Finney-Smith's injury gives Jabari Smith Jr. the chance to take and cling to a starting spot for the duration of the season, returning him to his rightful role as the team's starting power forward.