NBA
Houston’s Dorian Finney-Smtih (ankle) will miss the 2025-26 season opener
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated1 hour ago on October 02, 2025
Ahead of the 2025-26 season, the Rockets have made several upgrades to their roster. One player they added through free agency was veteran PF Dorian Finney-Smith.
The 32-year-old signed a four-year, $53 million contract with Houston. In June, Finney-Smith had surgery on his ankle to repair a lingering injury. Recently, Rockets’ head coach Ime Udoka shared an update on Finney-Smith. At training camp. Udoka noted that Dorian Finney-Smith will likely be unavailable for their season opener.
Dorian Finney-Smith is still recovering from ankle surgery in June
Dorian Finney-Smith Not Cleared For Contact, Expected To Miss Season Opener https://t.co/8kZmuYqQZh
— RealGM (@RealGM) October 2, 2025
In the 2016 NBA draft, Dorian Finney-Smith went undrafted out of Florida. Eventually, Finney-Smith found his way to Dallas and played the first seven-and-a-half years of his career for the Mavericks. He appeared in 434 games and made 322 starts for Dallas. At the 2022-23 trade deadline, Finney-Smith was traded from the Mavericks to the Nets. The PF played two-and-a-half seasons for the Nets, appearing in 114 games and making 102 starts.
Twenty games into the 2024-25 season, Dorian Finney-Smith was traded from the Nets to the Lakers. He played in 43 games and made 20 starts for Los Angeles. This offseason, Finney-Smith did not reach a long-term deal with the Lakers. Instead, he signed a four-year deal with the Houston Rockets. Recently, it was announced that the Rockets’ Fred VanVleet tore his ACL.
Dorian Finney-Smith is not expected to be available for the Rockets season opener after undergoing ankle surgery this summer.
(via @danielle_lerner, https://t.co/WEY1aJoWVr) pic.twitter.com/3CLrl9CW2J
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 1, 2025
All signs point to VanVleet missing the entire 2025-26 season. That’s not the only injury Houston is dealing with. Power forward Dorian Finney-Smith had ankle surgery in June. While he’s recovering nicely, Finney-Smith could miss the start of the year. Head coach Ime Udoka announced that Dorian Finney-Smith will not be available for the season opener. They will face the OKC Thunder on Tuesday, October 21.
Additionally, Ime Udoka noted that Dorian Finney-Smith has not yet been cleared for contact. However, he has been participating in training camp activities. Over his career, Finney-Smith has built a reputation as a 3-and-D player. He shoots .362% from beyond the arc for his career and is a pest on the defensive end. Houston will have to wait for the PF to make his season debut. With the talent on their roster, Finney-Smith could be a sixth man in 2025-26.
