The Rockets got some of the worst news of their young season after backup big man Steven Adams went down with a left ankle sprain late in Houston’s January 18 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Adams landed awkwardly contesting a shot at the rim. Follow-up imaging and evaluation confirmed a Grade 3 sprain, the most severe level, but with no fracture.
Head coach Ime Udoka and team reports describe Adams as “out indefinitely” and say he won’t be back anytime soon. Grade 3 ankle sprains typically require 6-12 weeks of recovery before a return to game action, so Adams is widely expected to miss most or all of the rest of the regular season unless he heals on the shorter end of that range.
Adams has been one of Udoka’s most important weapons ever since he was acquired from Memphis at the trade deadline two seasons ago. The Rockets lead the league in offensive rebounding percentage, largely due to Adams’ presence on the boards. Since last season, Udoka has heavily featured lineups with both Adams and starting center Alperen Sengun together on the court in tandem, intended to overpower opponents, especially on the glass.
Now Houston will rely heavily on third string center Clint Capela to pick up Adams’ minutes. Capela, acquired from Atlanta in the offseason, is earning just $6.7 million this season. He’s on the books for two more seasons after this one. On the year, Capela is averaging 3.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, shooting 53.1% from the field, playing 11.6 minutes per game.
Capela has been impressive of late in his new role, defending the rim and setting screens for Reed Sheppard on offense. In his last three games, Capela has played 12 minutes, 15 minutes, and 16 minutes, respectively.
It’s possible that general manager Rafael Stone could look to add frontcourt depth ahead of the league’s February 5th trade deadline, so as to avoid wearing Capela down. Another possibility could be playing starting forward Jabari Smith Jr. more minutes at backup center in smaller lineups. Whatever the Rockets decide to do, they have huge shoes to fill with Adams’ absence. They hope their backup center can be back in time for the playoffs.