In a much-needed boost for a weary and short-handed team, veteran defensive ace Dillon Brooks rejoined the starting lineup of the Houston Rockets in Saturday night’s game at Boston. He was not on any sort of minutes restriction, per head coach Ime Udoka.
Brooks hadn’t played since straining his right oblique on Dec. 26 versus Indiana. In his nine-game absence, the Rockets (19-18) went 4-5, and two of those four wins came versus lowly Detroit (3-36).
Brooks replaced Jae’Sean Tate at forward in Houston’s starting lineup, which now has better perimeter defense and superior shooting. Brooks shoots 40.8% on 3-pointers, while Tate is at 32.1% this season.
The move could also strengthen Houston’s bench by allowing Udoka to place Tate alongside many of the team’s younger reserves.
The Rockets are still without second-year forward Tari Eason, who remains sidelined for at least a few more games with issues related to the preseason stress reaction suffered in his left lower leg.
But the return of Brooks means Udoka and the Rockets are now down only one rotation player, as opposed to two.
Brooks’ return was very much welcomed by the Rockets, who arrived in Boston in the early morning hours after playing in Detroit on Friday. Beyond the obvious basketball benefits of having Brooks, his availability allowed Udoka to manage minutes more tightly on the second night of a challenging road back-to-back.
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