The Houston Rockets pieced together a solid offseason and orchestrated one of the summer’s splashiest moves but the injury bug is already beginning to catch up to them before the season even opens. Reserve guard Gerald Green injured his foot during one of Houston’s preseason games in Tokyo and now it’s looking like the Rockets could be down one of their better shooters for an extended period.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Green has a broken left foot and will be sidelined indefinitely. Green injured his foot during one of Houston’s Tokyo preseason games last week, a 118-111 win over the Toronto Raptors.
Houston Rockets guard Gerald Green is believed to have suffered a broken left foot and could be sidelined a few months, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Green will have more opinions on his foot this week and be out indefinitely.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 13, 2019
While Gerald Green is far from the biggest name on Houston’s revamped roster, he has quietly been one of their more valuable contributors off the bench over the past couple of years. In the last two seasons, Green has averaged 10.2 points in just over 20 minutes of playing time per night and has shot over 35% from three-point range in three straight seasons.
Though their superstar starting backcourt and perennial Sixth Man of The Year candidate Eric Gordon receive most of the attention, Green is someone opposing defenses have to account for or he can heat up in a hurry and put a team away by himself. While he’s not the most efficient scorer, Green’s points seem to come in bunches and Houston will miss that potency off their bench to start the season. Wing depth was already a subject of concern for Houston and has now become a glaring liability.
Hopefully, for the Rockets and their chances at another deep playoff run later in the season, Green is able to return to full health sooner rather than later. Incorporating someone as offensively involved as Russell Westbrook will take some getting used to for everyone and is not an easy undertaking. Expect guards such as Austin Rivers and the recently acquired Ben McLemore or Thabo Sefolosha to get more opportunities with Houston’s second unit as long as Green remains out.
