Latest Rumors on Steven Adams' Timeline to Return to Rockets After Surgery on Ankle Injury
Houston Rockets center Steven Adams underwent season-ending surgery on his left ankle, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
The team initially said the veteran big would be sidelined indefinitely because of an ankle sprain. Now, his year is over after he made 32 appearances, averaging 5.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game.
The Rockets are fourth in the Western Conference (28-16) despite starting point guard Fred VanVleet suffering a torn ACL before the season tipped off. Head coach Ime Udoka has deployed Amen Thompson at the point to compensate.
Replacing Adams inside doesn't present quite the same challenge because Udoka can simply shift Alperen Şengün over to center. Not having Adams will test the team's depth, though.
Clint Capela has averaged 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks over the Rockets' last four games with Adams unavailable. At the very least, the 31-year-old should provide some cover for Şengün.
The idea of Capela playing backup center minutes in the playoffs isn't all that promising, though. His skills as a rim protector and rebounder have diminished, which is compounded with his limited scoring range.
Adams averaged 22.1 minutes per game in Houston's first-round series with the Golden State Warriors. It's tough to imagine Capela having that kind of workload.
As well as they've done to work around VanVleet's absence, the injuries might begin to add up for the Rockets as the season wears on.
