After Steven Adams left the game Sunday versus the New Orleans Pelicans with an apparent ankle injury, fans began speculating on the severity. Well, it was confirmed earlier this week that Adams has a grade-three ankle sprain, so fans should not be expecting him back anytime soon, as a grade-three ankle sprain can take up to nine weeks or more. The nine-week timeline would mean that it is possible Houston would not see Adams return until mid to late March, which would be right before the playoffs.
It’s even possible he misses the season.
However, one benefit this Rockets team has is its depth, as Houston would be able to deploy numerous other players at center without even considering Alperen Sengun. If Houston wanted to continue to use the double-big lineup, Ime Udoka could utilize Clint Capela. Afterall, Houston did sign Capela as a way to ensure that with or without Steven Adams, the Rockets would be able to play big and dominate the glass. There is a definite drop-off from Capela to Adams, but Capela can still fill his role nicely.
However, Capela is not the only option, as Houston could turn away from the double big lineup and go for a small ball approach. In this case, two players come to mind as options: Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. Every Rockets fan is unfortunately familiar with the Golden State Warriors dynasty. Durant played a lot of small-ball center when Golden State would roll out their death-ball lineup, especially in the 2017-2018 playoffs. Additonally, Jabari Smith Jr. also has experience playing the five, but his overall skills are much more limited, but perhaps he will receive some opportunities to help aid his development.
Additonally Dorian Finney-Smith, Tari Eason, and Jeff Green could also fill in as centers, but due to Finney-Smith and Eason’s potential lack of ability, I doubt that will be explored as often. As for Jeff Green, so far this season, he has not been getting many minutes at all outside of garbage time, and it is clear Capela has likely supplanted him as that reserve center option.
Houston is back in action Monday at home versus the Memphis Grizzlies for Steven Adams and Reed Sheppard bobblehead night. Tip-off is at 7:00. As always, be sure to check back here at The Dream Shake for pre- and post-game coverage of the game.
