Rockets rookie Jalen Green to miss time with left hamstring strain

Stephen Silas announced at Friday’s Rockets practice that Jalen Green strained his left hamstring and would be re-evaluated in a week.

Rookie guard Jalen Green, who was selected by the Houston Rockets at No. 2 overall in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft, will miss at least one week of action due to a strained left hamstring. Head coach Stephen Silas announced the news to reporters at Friday’s team practice from Toyota Center, where Green understandably did not participate.

Green strained his right hamstring in August, which cut short his NBA summer league stint, so a small bit of consolation for the Rockets could be that it is not a recurrence of the previous injury.

Green left Wednesday’s victory versus Chicago with under two minutes left in the first quarter after hitting the floor as a result of a foul that occurred on a drive to the rim. The 19-year-old shot both free throws before being taken to the locker room for further evaluation. Within minutes, he was ruled out with a vague description of a “left lower leg injury,” and Silas said postgame that he did not yet have an update.

Based on the schedule, Green will miss at least three contests for the Rockets: home games on Saturday and Monday versus Charlotte and Oklahoma City, and next Wednesday’s road game at Oklahoma City.

However, Green could potentially miss more time than that — since even if he is cleared to resume basketball activities in a week, the Rockets could opt to be conservative and gradually build his stamina back up, as opposed to immediately throwing the rookie back into an NBA game.

In 18 outings this season, Green is averaging 14.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 30.8 minutes for the Rockets. With Green sidelined, that could lead to a starting opportunity for reserve wing Danuel House Jr., who scored a team-high 18 points off the bench in Wednesday’s win.

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