Houston Rockets swingman Gerald Green is believed to have suffered a broken left foot and could be sidelined for months, as first reported by The Athletic‘s Shams Charania.
Charania reports that Green, a native Houstonian who first entered the NBA back in the 2005-06 season, will seek medical opinions on his foot this week and has been ruled “out indefinitely.”
Green missed Sunday’s practice in Houston with what the team termed a sprained left foot. He re-signed with the Rockets in July on a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum salary.
Now 33 years old, Green is entering his third consecutive season with the Rockets. Over the past two years, the 6-foot-7 wing player averaged 10.3 points (36.0% on three-pointers) in 21.1 minutes per game, mostly from a bench role in Houston.
Green missed last Tuesday’s preseason game in Japan with a cervical strain, but he returned Thursday and played 18 minutes in the Rockets’ 118-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors. In that game, Green had five points (two-of-five shooting) and four rebounds.
According to the Houston Chronicle‘s Jonathan Feigen, Green injured his foot during Thursday’s game. Feigen reports that the Rockets initially hoped that the injury was just a sprain, but examinations Sunday revealed the break.
More tests are planned for Monday to confirm the diagnosis and determine whether surgery will be required.
Green’s absence could offer an opportunity for 26-year-old swingman and former 2013 NBA Draft lottery pick Ben McLemore, who earned praise from coach Mike D’Antoni at Sunday’s practice. In four preseason games, the 6-foot-5 guard is scoring 9.8 points (33.3% on 3-pointers) in 20.4 minutes per game.
The 2019-20 regular season begins for Houston with a home game versus the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, Oct. 24. That’s less than two weeks away, which means the Rockets will likely use their final two preseason games this week as an opportunity to gauge how ready McLemore is to step into Green’s spot in the rotation.
