Houston Rockets Need A Starting Lineup Change

Tari Eason and Amen Thompson are warranting starting minutes.

Nov 6, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) reacts after scoring a basket during the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets, despite sitting at 6-4, are facing serious lineup issues. The team barely squeezed out a 101-99 win against the Detroit Pistons yesterday afternoon, but the game was very telling when it comes to head coach Ime Udoka's lineups.

The Rockets are currently running with the same starters as last season: Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun. So far, that group has struggled as a whole, and it showed yesterday.

VanVleet's shooting slump has hurt the Rockets immensely, but it isn't going to last forever. The former All-Star is shooting 37.9% from the field and 28.2% from deep, but his shot selection is still good. Eventually, the jumpers will fall.

The biggest issues, evident in yesterday's game, were Brooks and Smith's minutes over bench standouts Tari Eason and Amen Thompson. Thankfully, Udoka let Eason finish the game, and he had 18 points and nine rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting. Eason also had plenty of hustle plays and gave Houston opportunities to swing the momentum and halt Detroit's 13-point comeback.

Thompson, although not as impressive as Eason yesterday, was still efficient. He ended with eight points, five rebounds, and three assists on 2-of-5 shooting. Thompson has proven to be effective in his all-around role, leaning more into playmaking, defending, and rebounding than scoring.

The problem is that Brooks and Smith need the ball in their hands more to be effective. Eason and Thompson can be that spark plug in a lineup full of scorers like VanVleet, Sengun, and Green while Brooks and Smith are in a slump right now.

It's clear that Eason and Thompson deserve more minutes, and perhaps moving better scorers like Brooks and Smith to the bench would even out the offensive production minutes-wise. It's early in the season, but the Rockets have the potential to be great, and Udoka should try something new while he still can.

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