The Rockets May Have A Bench Issue

The Houston Rockets just gutted out a big win against the Golden State Warriors after holding double-digit leads at several different parts of the game. It was the kind of game the Rockets had made a habit of losing, but they finally found a way to close the deal.

The victory was mostly won on the shoulders of the starting lineup, as Alperen Şengün, Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, and Jabari Smith Jr. moved the ball well and knocked down big shots to pay off the ball movement. However, the Rockets got next to nothing from their reserves, which could become an issue heading into the postseason.

The Warriors No. 10 seeding isn't the most accurate position based on their talent. Stephen Curry has missed over 20 games, and Jimmy Butler has missed most of the season. Even with just Curry back, the Warriors are a much more competitive team.

However, the teams the Rockets could end up playing in the postseason are much better than the current construction of the Warriors, mostly due to their depth and contributions from role players.

The Rockets are finally starting to get consistent contributions from their role players outside of the top three players. Smith Jr. and Sheppard have revitilized Houston's offense, knocking down three-pointers and creating space for Thompson and Şengün to attack the paint, and allowing Durant to use the rest of the space for his offense.

However, the bench squad brought very little value to the team and were outplayed in many of their minutes. Tari Eason is a player who can contribute significantly to winning. However, there shouldn't be anymore debate on whether he or Sheppard should slot into the starting lineup after each of their performances in recent games.

Eason's energy may be able to serve the Rockets well from the bench, helping supplement the offense with his offensive rebounding. It's not likely Eason shoots as poorly as he did against the Warriors on a consistent basis, but his floor just creates more offensive difficulties for the starters when he's starting, and his defense isn't at a high enough level to help the starters lock down opposing starting lineups.

The Rockets have tried several other bench players, none of whom have stepped up to provide quality reserve minutes outside of Eason.

The Rockets may have an issue in the postseason because of this. They might be able to compete against some teams with just strong performances from the starters, but they won't be able to beat the best teams without contributions from their bench.