The Houston Rockets have championship aspirations after trading for 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant this offseason, though they won’t be at full strength come Opening Night.
Veteran point guard Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL in late September and is in jeopardy of missing the entire season. Now, Dorian Finney-Smith is expected to miss time at the start of the regular season due to a lingering left ankle injury, according to Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle.
The veteran forward underwent left ankle surgery in mid-June. He declined his $15.4 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers less than three weeks later, agreeing to a four-year, $52.7 million deal with the Rockets in free agency.
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Rockets coach Ime Udoka offers Dorian Finney-Smith injury update
With training camp underway, Finney-Smith still hasn’t been cleared for contact. Head coach Ime Udoka is unsure how many games the 32-year-old will miss, though he said that he has been involved in individual shooting drills during practice.
“No contact, but doing all the shooting and other things with treatment as well during practice,” Udoka said.
When healthy, the 3-and-D forward is expected to provide a spark off Houston’s bench behind Durant and Jabari Smith Jr.
Finney-Smith shot a career-high 41.1 percent from beyond the arc on 5.0 attempts per contest in 63 regular-season games between the Lakers and Brooklyn Nets in the 2024-25 campaign. He also averaged 8.7 points and 3.9 rebounds across 28.9 minutes per game last season.
With Finney-Smith likely joining VanVleet on the sideline to start the season, Tari Eason and Jae’Sean Tate could absorb more minutes. Finney-Smith’s status will still be something to monitor ahead of Opening Night on Oct. 21, when the Rockets face the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
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