Injury update: Rockets’ Nene will miss remainder of the playoffs
By Ynal Al-Ouri
Houston Rockets center Nene Hilario will miss the remainder of the playoffs due to a left abductor tear.
The Houston Rockets will have to be without their reserve center Nene Hilario for the remainder of the playoffs. It is a tough blow for the Rockets, as Nene provided excellent depth and leadership for the team on and off the court.
Nene suffered a left abductor tear during Game 4 of the team’s second round playoff matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. The team is currently reviewing treatment options for him. He was averaging 10 points, and 4.7 rebounds in 17.9 minutes off the bench. Those are pretty solid numbers considering the fact he wasn’t on the court for a whole lot of minutes.
This puts Houston in a tough spot as they continue their playoff series with the Spurs, without much reliable depth at the center position. The Rockets will have to lean more on their starting center Clint Capela, although that may hurt them late in games as he is a noticeably bad free throw shooter.
Houston can also play power forward Ryan Anderson at the center spot as well, although it might hurt them on the defensive end. There is no clear way for the Rockets to go about this, but we’re sure savvy offensive play caller Mike D’Antoni will get creative and figure something out.
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The Rockets also have youngster Montrezl Harell who could fill up some center minutes, but he is a bit undersized for the center position. Nene will become a free agent this summer, and at 35 years old, it remains to be seen if he will play another year in the NBA or not. The Rockets and Spurs will continue their series Tuesday night in San Antonio, at 8:00 PM ET.