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Rockets’ Patrick Beverley out for season and playoffs

By CM Towle

Mar 12, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
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Houston Rockets starting point guard Patrick Beverley is out for the season and playoffs to have wrist surgery.

Rockets’ point guard Patrick Beverley will miss the rest of the NBA regular season and the playoffs as he’s set to undergo wrist surgery for a torn ligament, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Previously, Beverley had sought to delay it as long as possible, saying he would wait up to 10 days to decide if he should have the surgery. However, surgery has emerged as the best option, according to a story by Pro Basketball Talk.

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Beverley has been struggling with the wrist injury, even though his defense has been instrumental to the Rockets and was expected to be instrumental for them in the playoffs. Dwight Howard is returning for the Rockets, but Beverley is a lockdown defensive player and there’s no doubt that his absence will have an effect on the Rockets playoff chances. There are a lot of top point guards in the Western Conference and Beverley’s defense could have been key in shutting them down.

Currently the Rockets are 9-0 with Jason Terry starting for Beverley, but with the season winding down and postseason-style play heating up, it will be interesting to see how long that lasts. The Rockets would draw Tony Parker and the Spurs if the playoffs started today, but even if it shifts, it could be Los Angeles Clippers and Chris Paul, or the Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard. Jason Terry might not be enough.

Another way to look at it is that the Rockets simply won’t be as dangerous without Beverley’s lockdown defense. They still have Dwight Howard and James Harden, who is the primary playmaker. It’s possible the play of those two guys will still give the Rockets plenty of firepower to make a run.

Beverley was averaging 10 points per game, along with four rebounds and three assists. The question for his surgery was whether playing through it, grinding through the injury as the Rockets have been doing all season, would further damage the wrist. The decision was ultimately yes, playing with the wrist would have caused possible long-term damage to the ligament. This is important for Beverley as he will be a restricted free agent after the season. If he recovers well, it puts him in a much better contract position.

The Rockets will continue to start Terry and 37 year old Pablo Prigioni will come off the bench. Rookie Nick Johnson might also get a few minutes. With nine games left to play, the Rockets probably won’t feel Beverley’s continued absence until the postseason.

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