Rockets Roll Out the Heavy Artillery: VanVleet and Thompson Cleared for Monday
Underdog NBA reported the official lineup: VanVleet, Thompson, Durant, Smith Jr., Sengun.
The are officially done playing games with their injury report, rolling out a starting five on Monday that actually looks like a finished puzzle.
According to Underdog NBA, is starting , , , , and .
had been carrying a questionable tag with shoulder soreness, which is usually just NBA medical code for a potential rest day. Instead, the second-year wing is lacing them up. He has been a massive piece of the rotation this year, averaging 13.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while only missing three contests all season.
Getting out there is just as crucial. Despite some conflicting noise about his health status recently, he just reminded everyone who runs the offense by dropping 11 assists with zero turnovers in a return game. That is the exact kind of floor-general stat line that makes a coaching staff sleep peacefully.
Having , , and Smith Jr. on the floor is great, but they need someone to actually get them the rock. Without and initiating the offense, this team can occasionally look like five guys who just met at a YMCA open gym trying to figure out a pick-and-roll.
This lineup drop is also a massive swing for anyone staring at the betting boards. was catching double-digit underdog odds in some spots when it looked like half the rotation might be in street clothes. With and officially active and ready to run, that math changes completely.
The Rockets are coming off a brutal 102-99 loss to the and desperately need to get back in the win column. They get the on Monday before the roll into town later this week, meaning this fully loaded starting five is about to get a very real stress test.