It’s almost Christmas and Dorian Finney-Smith has yet to make his regular season debut as a member of the Houston Rockets. The Los Angeles Lakers will have their first matchup against the Rockets on Dec. 25 with their former forward nowhere in sight.

Matt Young of The Houston Chronicle wrote in early December about there being progress on Finney-Smith’s injury. However, the target date for his return is still a bit away. The Lakers are unlikely to see their former role player on Christmas, barring a miracle.

“Dorian is improving,” the Rockets coach told Young. “He’s starting to ramp it up a little bit. …. How he reacts to that determines when he gets back. It will be a little bit still. I think we’re anticipating more around January hopefully, but he’s getting into the phase of playing a little bit more now.”

The Rockets unapologetically snatched Finney-Smith away from the Lakers when 2025 free agency started. They have yet to be rewarded for that bold move. Houston will be hoping for their lump of coal to turn into an actual gift during the new year.

Dorian Finney-Smith has yet to reward Rockets’ heist at Lakers’ expense

Seeing Finney-Smith depart from Los Angeles was a move initially met with a ton of skepticism. Many were immediately frustrated with Rob Pelinka for letting him walk after giving up trade assets to acquire him.

Those feelings were valid in their emergence. The former Laker was an absolute stud during his time with the team. The counting stats were modest, but Finney-Smith was a monster in every lineup, boosting the players around him with his presence.

The veteran forward made 43 appearances for the Lakers during the regular season. Finney-Smith averaged 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game, shooting 44.2 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Post All-Star break, the Lakers forward was second on the team in plus/minus with 147. Finney-Smith only trailed Luka Doncic (180) in that category.

That was the man who the Rockets hoped they acquired when they signed him to a four-year, $52.7 million deal over the summer. Whether that is the case remains unclear.

Finney-Smith is already 32 years old. Recovering from a significant injury and returning as the exact same player is never a guarantee at this stage of an NBA career.

The Rockets will hope any concerns quickly become an afterthought when Finney-Smith finally makes his debut. Those in Los Angeles wish him well. However, effectively swapping him for the haul of Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, and Marcus Smart has proven the right call for the Lakers.