Rockets Injury Update: Another Key Player Expected to Miss Time Due to Injury

The Houston Rockets were set to be one of the favorites to win the Western Conference this season. They added Kevin Durant, Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela, and Josh Okogie to the second-seeded team from last season. 

Many expected the Rockets to be one of the few teams to give the defending champion, the Oklahoma City Thunder, a run for their money this season.

Then things took a turn for the worse. Rockets starting point guard Fred VanVleet went down with an ACL tear in pre-training camp, putting the entire Rockets' offensive flow in jeopardy. The Rockets haven’t figured out how they will replace VanVleet yet, but many are expecting them to search the trade market soon. 

Unfortunately for the Rockets, VanVleet isn’t the only key guy who will miss time next season. Free agent signing Dorian Finney-Smith underwent ankle surgery this summer and still isn’t healthy. 

A recent report from the Houston Chronicle said that Finney-Smith won’t be available for the team’s season opener as he continues to recover. He has yet to be cleared for contact, making his return timeline a bit unclear. 

The good news is that nobody is expecting this to be a lingering injury issue for DFS. The surgery wasn’t major, and he should fully recover over the next few weeks. 

Still, the Rockets have started the season off on the wrong foot. Having two key players miss training camp and one miss the whole season is not the way you want to start a run to an NBA championship.

The Rockets have a lot of young players to help pick up the slack, but will it be enough to keep them contending at the top of the West?