The Houston Rockets rested several key players on Sunday as they faced the Phoenix Suns, presumably to keep their stars rested for the postseason. Unfortunately, one of the players who was given extended minutes in their absence may have lost his season.
Rockets forward Sam Dekker suffered a broken left hand in the fourth quarter of the Houston victory, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
Sam Dekker broke his hand in that fourth quarter collision.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) April 3, 2017
Dekker was involved in a collision late in the game. He immediately fell to the ground and looked to be in a lot of pain. After several minutes, he walked under his own power to the locker room and did not return. The diagnosis was revealed after the game had concluded.
Dekker was having a great season under Mike D’Antoni as a shooter off the bench. The sophomore out of Wisconsin was averaging 6.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in 18.4 minutes while shooting 47.3 percent from the field. Dekker had shown promise as depth for the team moving forward.
It’s unclear how long Dekker will be out with the injury although the initial prognosis is that he could be back in three-to-four weeks, potentially bringing him into the rotation by the second round.
Sam Dekker will see a specialist tomorrow in Houston, but initial prognosis is that he would be out three to four weeks.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) April 3, 2017
The postseason is roughly two weeks away, giving him some time to heal before the more meaningful games. The Rockets will need all hands (figuratively and literally in this case) on deck as they look to challenge the Warriors in the West.
