As of Monday, it’s still not clear when or if the 2019-20 NBA season will restart. The league remains on an indefinite hiatus, which has been the case since March 12 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
But if it does resume, there could be a silver lining for the Houston Rockets involving the health of key reserve Eric Gordon.
In an interview Monday with Cayleigh Griffin of Rockets television partner AT&T SportsNet Southwest, the 31-year-old guard explained how the extended layoff has helped improve his personal health.
“It’s all positives for me,” Gordon said of the hiatus. He elaborated:
People have to understand, when you have a surgery during the season and you’re trying to come back as fast as you can, you’re not really 100%. You may feel good enough to be able to play, but you still have to overcome obstacles because you’re putting a lot of force and pressure on your knee.
You’re trying to recover as much as possible, doing different treatments, and all the ice, and of course rest handles a lot of that. All that does come together, but you’re still putting a lot of force and pressure on your knee during the season. Now, it’s really nothing but positive, because I’m allowed to rest and recover in the way that I really want to.
In tonight’s #RocketsClassic re-air, @TheofficialEG10 returns to the floor in just his second game since knee surgery.
Earlier tonight, Eric told me what it’s like to have surgery and return in the season & how he’s doing now – CG pic.twitter.com/8X206DquPf
— AT&T SportsNet SW (@ATTSportsNetSW) April 27, 2020
Gordon has missed 30 of Houston’s 64 games this season due to injury, with most traced to a surgical procedure on his right knee in November. When he plays, Gordon is the third-leading scorer on the Rockets (40-24), averaging 14.5 points in 28.6 minutes per game.
While limited by injury, Gordon’s shooting percentages have dipped from 40.9% overall and 36.0% on 3-pointers in the 2018-19 campaign to 37.0% and 31.9%, respectively, this season.
During the hiatus, Gordon is still able to do workouts sent to him and other Rockets players by director of athletic performance Javair Gillett. That’s no substitute for actual basketball, but it seems to be in Gordon’s best interest to return to peak performance, given his health status.
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