Houston Rockets lose starting forward Ryan Anderson to ankle injury
Veteran forward possibly back before NBA Playoffs start
The Houston Rockets will miss starting power forward Ryan Anderson for two weeks due to an ankle injury. Anderson had tests on his injured ankle and it came back negative, which means that the veteran could return to the Rockets line-up a few games before the 2017 NBA Playoffs start.
Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni was not worried about the injury since they would be getting their starting forward back in time for the postseason. Anderson is a key part in the Rockets’ offensive system this season.
"The important thing is he can play two or three games before we get into the playoffs. And it looks like he will be on that timetable, we won't push it, and we'll deal with whatever and hopefully he'll be back sooner rather than later,” D’Antoni said via ESPN about Anderson’s injury.
Anderson got hurt in the Rockets’ 117-107 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. The veteran forward had 13 points and 6 rebounds before leaving the floor with the ankle injury.
The 28-year-old Anderson was one of the key acquisitions for the Rockets in the 2016 offseason. In his first year with the Texas ball club, he has averages of 13.5 points and 4.7 rebounds. More importantly for the Rockets’ offensive system, he is making almost three 3-pointers per game on 39.7 percent shooting.
With Anderson in the lineup, he helps the Rockets’ offence stretched for other players like James Harden, who is one of the leading NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) candidates this season. With Anderson out, the Rockets will look for other players to step up on offence. Forwards like Montrezl Harrell and Sam Dekker will see increased playing time and big men like Clint Capela and Nene Hilario will have to contribute.
The Rockets played without Anderson versus Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. Houston went “small-ball” and started reserve guard Eric Gordon. The strategy worked out for D’Antoni as the Rockets won via a blowout, 137-125 in the high-scoring affair.
The Rockets are already safely in the 2017 NBA Playoffs and likely ending up as the third seed behind the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. A match-up with either the Thunder or Memphis Grizzlies is seen with those teams still fighting for the sixth seed.
Anderson’s return will be around mid-April and he will have a few games under his belt to get his rhythm back before the playoffs.
