The Houston Rockets’ big man, Steven Adams, has undergone an operation on his left ankle that will conclude his current season, according to information received by ESPN’s Shams Charania earlier this week.
The 32-year-old Adams sustained the injury during a January 18th win over the New Orleans Pelicans when he was defending Zion Williamson near the basket. Moving to assist Alperen Sengun in guarding Williamson, Adams elevated to block a shot by the Pelicans’ forward and clutched his left ankle right after touching down.
Adams typically contributes 5.8 points and 8.6 rebounds across 22.8 minutes for the Rockets, a team that ranks first in the NBA for total rebounds (averaging 49 per contest). The team’s third-string center, Clint Capela, has now become the main reserve option following Sengun, and it’s anticipated that Houston will additionally deploy forward Jabari Smith Jr. in the center position for various game configurations.
This represents another notable setback for the Rockets, who are already without their starting point guard, Fred VanVleet. Despite these challenges, Houston remains one of the top-ranked teams in the Western Conference with a 28-16 record and is merely two victories away from securing the second position.
Michael C. Wright of ESPN provided additional information for this article.
