How The Rockets' Role Players Change Their Contention Chances

All season, national pundits have placed the Houston Rockets' hopes on Kevin Durant, Alperen Şengün, and Amen Thompson. These players have fluctuated between having incredible games to having subpar performances. The team's top three is trending upwards, but their performance can deliver wins only if they receive support from some of the team's role players and reserves.

Jabari Smith Jr. has had a recent resurgence as a top role player for the Rockets. His stretch ability from beyond the arc has pushed back to right around league average, and his mid range shot is providing a legitimate threat. His newfound ability to dribble into dangerous spots in the midrange is a welcome development from the former No. 3 pick.

Reed Sheppard has consistently been one of the most important role players on the squad, providing at least some of what the Rockets lost with the injury to Fred VanVleet.

The ability to stretch the floor off the catch or off the dribble creates an impactful presence from the perimeter. Sheppard is also strong at handling the ball in pick-and-roll sets, making big men like Şengün and Clint Capela even more dangerous in the offense.

At this point, there's little hope the Rockets will receive anything of note from Dorian Finney-Smith this season. Or more likely, any production they do get from him in the postseason will be a welcome sight. However, Josh Okogie provides a higher level of defense and scoring that helps the Rockets in the short term. If Finney-Smith returns to the level of play he had with the Dallas Mavericks, he would be a strong addition to the postseason roster. However, the likelihood of that happening hasn't shown many flashes throughout the season.

One role player that must have a significant bounce back is Tari Eason.

He has shown throughout the season that he can be one of the top role players throughout the league. When he's on, his defensive presence is elite, and his ability to knock down shots and slash to the bucket adds new layers to the offense outside of just the top players.

However, his offense hasn't looked serviceable the entire month of March, and he still has tendencies to gamble and foul on defense. His high point could help the Rockets win a series in the playoffs, but his low point could help the Rockets to a quick vacation.

It's not just Eason, the entire roster of reserves must step up to relieve some of the pressure placed on Durant defensively. If the Rockets can get some strong production from their role players, they might have a chance to contend.