The Rockets see Wednesday as an “important practice,” per head coach Stephen Silas, who shared late Monday that veterans Eric Gordon, John Wall, and DeMarcus Cousins remain on course to rejoin the team. All three of those expected rotation fixtures missed Houston’s initial two games of the 2020-21 regular season due to a mandatory quarantine.
Houston did not practice Tuesday after arriving home in the early morning hours from Denver, where the Rockets (0-2) lost on Monday. The Rockets had played two road games in three nights, and they were very shorthanded due to COVID-19 issues. With just nine active players, Houston was only one above the NBA’s minimum requirement of eight.
Moreover, of those nine active players, two of the key veterans (James Harden and PJ Tucker) didn’t fully participate in training camp or the preseason. As such, fatigue seemed to become an issue in both games. Understandably, Tuesday was a much-needed day off.
That won’t be the case Wednesday, when Silas says the Rockets will have an “important practice” at Toyota Center. Assuming a final round of negative COVID-19 tests, Wall, Cousins, and Gordon are all expected to end their seven-day quarantines (due to possible exposure) in time.
Regarding the schedule, here’s what Silas said late Monday:
Wednesday will be the day that hopefully we’ll play everybody in practice, and then we play Thursday and basically every other day after that. So Wednesday is going to be an important practice, getting those guys back in and getting the whole group kind of on the same page, as far as what we’re trying to get done on both ends of the floor.
Among expected rotation players, the only remaining absence is Ben McLemore, whose return timetable is slightly elongated since he reportedly tested positive (along with rookie KJ Martin Jr.) for the coronavirus. By contrast, Wall, Cousins, Gordon, and rookie Mason Jones have repeatedly tested negative. That’s why, assuming one more round of negative results, those four should be able to return sooner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f-ev_quZls
Given the late arrivals of Harden and Tucker to training camp, Houston hasn’t had too many practices with its full roster. Moreover, with games scheduled every other day for most of January, the Rockets might not want to practice too hard on many of those off days, since they may be sore from a game the night before. Wednesday, on the other hand, is the second of consecutive off days — which should allow players to be fresh.
For a Houston squad wanting to avoid an 0-3 start and needing to integrate its full roster, it comes at an opportune time. Thursday’s tipoff versus Sacramento is set for 7:00 p.m. at Toyota Center, where the Rockets will play six of their next seven games in front of home fans.
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