On March 5, Beijing time, the Rockets will go to the away game to challenge the Nuggets at 10:00 this morning. At present, the strength gap between the two teams is also clear, the Rockets are still at the bottom of the West after 11 consecutive losses, and the gap between them and the 14th Thunder in the West is 5 wins, and in the case that the Rockets still have 20 regular season games to play, it is basically impossible to get rid of the bottom of the West. But that's exactly what the Rockets "want," and to win the draft picks, which is exactly what the Rockets need.
So the penultimate number one in the West is not terrible, and the Rockets have also calmed down their minds, and this season's swing is for the future rise. In this game with the Nuggets, the strength and weakness are obvious, and it is natural for the Rockets to swallow another defeat, but the problem of the Rockets is that many players may miss this regular season game against the Nuggets due to injury, so what kind of adjustments and changes will Silas have in terms of employment?
We know that in the previous Rockets overtime loss to the Jazz, the main striker Jessian Tate sprained his ankle, and he only played 11 minutes and scored 9 points, and Martin Jr. has been in his place since Tate came off. Silas said after the game that Tate said he couldn't move after he was injured. Although Silas is not sure how Tate's injury is, it seems that Tate should not play in the next game. Similarly, Eric Gordon, the Rockets' 33-year-old veteran shooter, who was previously injured, may not be able to play against the Nuggets.
As a last resort, the Rockets temporarily recalled two new players from the Development League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers — 20-year-old point guard Daishine Knicks and 25-year-old small forward Trevlin Quinn. The two players have spent most of the season in the development league, with the Knicks already signing a formal contract with the Rockets and Quinn still on a two-way contract.
Looking at the statistics, the Knicks have played eight times for the Rockets this season, averaging 3.8 points, 1.2 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game in 8.4 minutes; Quinn has also played in 8 games for the Rockets, averaging 4.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 0.6 steals in 8.6 minutes per game. On the whole, the level of the two is limited, but the Next Game of the Rockets against the Nuggets, Schroeder, Gordon and Tate may not be able to play, and the Rockets management has recalled the two in desperation.
In fact, this is not a bad thing, after all, after Quinn and Knicks Fireline came to the rescue, the Rockets' 16-man roster actually has 14 players to use. Gordon, Tate and Schroeder are injured, but the injuries are not particularly serious, as long as they rest 1-2 games can still play. It's just that Wall has reached a long-term non-appearance agreement with the Rockets, and Garuba is still recovering from injuries after wrist surgery, and it is expected that there may be a few weeks to return.
Therefore, in addition to Garruba + Wall, the remaining 14 players of the Rockets do not have the possibility of long-term absence, and in the last 20 games, give Quinn and the Knicks some more opportunities, maybe the Rockets will have new discoveries. After all, the Rockets' Matthews have risen from the development league this season, and now he is still the main rotation player for the Rockets, and if Quinn and Knicks have enough playing time, it is difficult to guarantee that they will not become the next Matthews.