Houston Rockets: What Eric Gordon’s absence means moving forward
By Saheel Momin
Eric Gordon is one of the most important role players on the Houston Rockets, and his injury could become a huge setback as the schedule gets tougher
Eric Gordon is expected to miss six weeks as he is set to have knee surgery. These six weeks will be a big loss for the Houston Rockets because of what he brings to the team.
Gordon is the perfect player for the Rockets’ up-tempo style of play and he has succeeded ever since he became a member of the Rockets in 2016. Mike D’Antoni’s run-and-gun offense has been working well for Gordon, seen through his notable improvement in his offensive play.
The 2017 NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year adds an extra offensive force alongside James Harden and Russell Westbrook, and his play has put Houston in the championship hunt.
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Gordon, who had been struggling mightily early in the season, was averaging 10.9 points and was shooting 31 percent from 3-point range this season. Whether that be the injury taking effect on his ability to perform or him simply not finding his range, Gordon will come back strong after his surgery.
Gordon’s MRI showed that there was “significant” debris in his knee, resulting in his surgery set to proceed on Wednesday.
"[via SI.com]“Eric is going to have a procedure tomorrow morning with his knee to clean up some stuff. [He’ll be out] six weeks, more or less,” D’Antoni told the media at the Toyota Center. “It’s been bothering him, actually, since the middle of last year, so he’s probably relieved that he can clean it up, get it going and come back.”"
As for the Rockets, there are many steps they will need to take during Gordon’s absence in order to continue to compete at a high level. They will be lacking offensive play outside of James Harden and Russell Westbrook and need to continue to move the ball around in order to compensate for Gordon.
If you’ve been watching the Rockets for several years, you know that they like to rely on the three. Some have said, if you live by the 3, you die by the 3, and the Rockets perfectly exemplify that. The Rockets have to find other pieces to fill Eric Gordon’s role.
Mike D’Antoni has said the sharpshooting Ben McLemore will fill in for Gordon and Austin Rivers will help out as well. The Rockets will also bring in Chris Clemons, who has been playing in their G-league team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
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Houston will miss Eric Gordon’s ability to spread the floor and be a big factor from 3-point land. The Rockets have a tough road coming up ahead, so seeing how Houston adjusts without Gordon will be interesting to watch.