Luc Mbah a Moute Reportedly out 2-3 Weeks with Shoulder Injury

Houston Rockets forward Luc Mbah a Moute has no structural damage in his disclocated shoulder and will be reevaluated in one week, with the expectation of him missing two-to-three weeks.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported an MRI revealed "no significant issues" in the shoulder, which he hurt in Wednesday's win over the Charlotte Hornets. He left the game after scoring two points and grabbing one rebound in nine minutes.

"Luc is a key for us defensively," center Clint Capela told reporters. "We're going to have to be more focused on defense because without Luc, it's not going to be easy."

Mbah a Moute is averaging 6.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per game this season. He's largely played the role of a defense-first small-ball 4, taking on bigger wings and keeping his head down while the Rockets' stars do the work on offense. Formerly a complete non-shooter, Mbah a Moute is shooting 37.3 percent from three-point range and has been given free license in Mike D'Antoni's freewheeling system.

The Rockets do not have a real natural fit who can do everything Mbah a Moute does defensively. P.J. Tucker should see an increase in his minutes in a similar role, but the Rockets' reserve defense is going to take a major hit with Mbah a Moute out.