Just when it appeared that the Houston Rockets were nearing a fully healthy roster after months of hardship, recently acquired wing Iman Shumpert has cropped up on the injury list. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports that Shumpert will miss the Rockets’ matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday and their matchup with the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, due to right knee soreness.
Getting scratched from the Rockets’ two-game road trip this early suggests that the issue is significant enough that he requires extended rest that the NBA All-Star break could not provide. Shumpert dealt with right knee soreness as a member of the Sacramento Kings in November, but nothing yet suggests that the issues are directly linked.
Shumpert’s next opportunity to play will come against the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 25. His absence for the Warriors game, in particular, comes as a blow since he has the reputation of a strong individual defender. Although the Rockets get center Clint Capela (thumb) back on Thursday, they are still shorthanded with only 12 players on the official roster.
