It is officially confirmed that Ethan is injured and the Rockets forward line is worrying. The 32-year-old veteran may be the key to breaking the game.

On the basketball court, injuries always come quietly like uninvited guests. The 24-year-old Rockets forward Ethan unfortunately suffered an abdominal strain in a fierce duel with the Trail Blazers and is expected to be sidelined for 4 to 6 weeks. Although the Rockets have won four consecutive games in the past four games, there is an element of luck. If Shen Jing misses the buzzer-beating hook against the Magic inside; if Durant, the God of Death, is not possessed and the mid-range shot determines the outcome of the game, then the team's current situation is far from as good as the data panel shows. In order to make up for Ethan's absence, Uduka needs to find a replacement as much as possible.

Although Holiday of the third team divided Ethan's playing time in the last game and contributed 10 points in 16 minutes, which also won the recognition and praise of the coaching staff, in order to completely help the team's second team stabilize the situation, the young player's performance alone is still far from enough. For this reason, head coach Uduka needs to re-adjust the lineup. Among them, 32-year-old veteran Dorian Finney-Smith is expected to become the team's X factor. According to CBS news: Finney Smith may only need more than a week to return from injury. This front line gatekeeper has absolute strength in both offense and defense, as well as in terms of experience and guidance.

Last season, Dorian Finney-Smith played for the Nets and Lakers. In comparison, his performance in the Lakers' lineup is more eye-catching, and his functionality is also more prominent. In 43 regular season games for the Purple and Gold, he averaged 28.8 minutes per game and contributed 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists. From a statistical perspective alone, it may not be very impressive, but his tactical position in the Lakers' second team cannot be underestimated. After team general manager Pelinka completed the Anthony Davis trade, the Lakers' interior lineup is slightly weaker. In order to make the team's tactical play more versatile, the coaching staff chose to switch to a small lineup for most of the subsequent games. In this case, Finney Smith, who is not tall, has to serve as the team's No. 5 position.

Based on such a rich and unique resume, it is not difficult to speculate that on the defensive end, he can effectively make up for the possible leakage of Shen Jing and Durant, adding a solid guarantee to the team's defensive system. If Finney Smith can bring more revenue, then there is no chance of entering the starting lineup. Considering the starting striker at this stage, Okogie's weaknesses are relatively obvious. His defensive attributes are directly full, but there is no threat at the offensive end. Once he returns to the second team and partners with Sheppard, he will make up for the shortcomings of the No. 3 overall pick on the defensive end. It is not easy for Finney Smith alone to create such a varied tactical system.

In addition, Finney Smith can also appear on the court as a swingman. When he was playing for the Nets, he mostly served as the starting shooting guard. If he can have the opportunity to swing to a familiar position, he can not only make up for the outside firepower threat caused by VanVleet's injury, but also help Amen Thompson relieve the pressure of holding the ball while improving the team's outside defensive intensity. At the same time, his excellent outside shooting can also help Durant and Shen Jing reduce their burden on the offensive end. As long as the opponent adopts double-teaming tactics, there will inevitably be open opportunities, and they only need to steadily throw the ball into the basket. From this point of view, Ethan's injury may be an unexpected blessing.