Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon may be looking at an extended absence, as first reported by The Athletic‘s Shams Charania.
Gordon, who has struggled to find a consistent role with the team so far this season, may need knee surgery that could sideline the 12-year veteran for as long as six weeks, and a month at minimum.
While there’s a chance the Indiana native can avoid it, it seems probable the ex-Hoosier will elect to have a clean-up operation as the team and player search for a solution to his early woes.
Timetable expected for Eric Gordon's absence from Rockets lineup: Up to six weeks, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. https://t.co/gSCosbej5K
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 12, 2019
Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed the injury news at Tuesday’s practice, and indicated that Gordon would, in fact, have the procedure.
Coach D’Antoni confirmed this at practice. Eric Gordon will have a procedure done tomorrow to clean out his knee – is expected to miss 6 weeks. He’s experienced discomfort in the knee since last season. #Rockets https://t.co/SMye4ov5qM
— Cayleigh Griffin (@cayleighgriffin) November 12, 2019
If the procedure is greenlighted, it will further solidify fourth-year wing Danuel House Jr.’s role as the team’s starting small forward, one the 6-foot-6 wing has embraced in the wake of one of the worst starts to his teammate’s career.
Gordon, on the other hand, finds himself logging his worst three-point shooting (28.4%) since his inaugural season with the New Orleans then-Hornets, when he managed an abysmal 25% from beyond the arc. He has also put up the worst field goal percentage of his career in nine games so far this season, a mere 30.9%.
Whether or not knee problems are the culprit, it’s hard to imagine a player who has logged a career .372 percentage from three-point range and .426 overall from the floor to remain so cold over the course of a complete season, if fully healthy.
If the Rockets are going to seriously contend for an NBA title this season, they’ll need Gordon as close to that status as possible — and hitting more like he has over the course of his career.
Eric Gordon returns, but Rockets keep Danuel House Jr. as starter https://t.co/YGU2IRT8Yj
— The Rockets Wire (@TheRocketsWire) November 9, 2019
While House has been a pleasant surprise in how well he has adapted to his new role, Houston will need at least some backups to step up, in order to compete against the league’s better teams.
With only Thabo Sefolosha currently available to spell the three in Gordon’s likely extended absence and House navigating injuries of his own, success in a stacked West is predicated on the Indiana product regaining at least some of his shooting touch, and in a hurry.
In the meantime, expect the organization to lean heavily on House when possible, with a big boost to Sefolosha’s minutes in the short-term as the team scrambles to shore up a banged-up wing rotation.
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