The Houston Rockets will start the 2019-20 season restart without one of their top reserve players.
Guard Eric Gordon will miss approximately two weeks because of a left ankle sprain, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reported Tuesday night that the Rockets feared Gordon would miss anywhere from one to two weeks because of the injury.
Rockets guard Eric Gordon is expected to miss approximately two weeks with left ankle sprain, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 29, 2020
Gordon was helped off the floor late in the first half of Tuesday’s scrimmage between Houston and Boston after landing on Vincent Poirier’s foot. The former Kia Sixth Man of the Year would not return.
Gordon, who at 14.9 points per game was the Rockets’ third-leading scorer during the regular season, exited with nine points in 15 minutes. Houston coach Mike D’Antoni later told reporters that X-Rays were negative for Gordon’s left ankle, and that he would be out for “a few days.”
The 2016-17 winner of the Kia Sixth Man of the Year, Gordon appeared in 34 games for Houston this season but only started 13 of those. He had surgery on his right knee in November, which caused him to miss six weeks of the season and he missed six of Houston’s last 12 games while dealing with soreness in that knee.
Gordon’s health will be a key to Houston’s success because of his strong 3-point shooting. The 31-year-old shot 36% from 3-point range last season, but that number dropped to 32% this year — his lowest percentage since 2013.
