Right when the Houston Rockets got Dwight Howard back into their lineup, Patrick Beverley went down with a wrist injury that required surgery.
After waiting approximately a week to make a decision, Beverley has opted to undergo season-ending surgery on his wrist, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Beverley is scheduled to have his surgery tomorrow, in which an exact timetable will be determined once the procedure is successful.
According to Feigen, the Rockets planned starting lineup of Patrick Beverley, James Harden, Trevor Ariza, Terrence Jones, and Dwight Howard has only played two games together. Unfortunately for Houston, it will stay that way for the remainder of the season and playoffs.
Losing Beverley for the playoffs is a huge blow as he is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Beverley’s peskiness could have been used against the elite point guards that the Rockets will face throughout the playoffs such as Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Tony Parker, Mike Conley, Russell Westbrook, and Damian Lillard.
The Rockets have had an amazing season led by James Harden, who is a top MVP candidate. Harden has been able to carry the team despite the various injuries that his teammates have suffered throughout the season.
However, the playoffs are a whole different story. The game slows down, the intensity rises, and defenses clamp down. That is when the Rockets will need to increase their defensive prowess as well, but it would be difficult to do without their best defender.
In Beverley’s absence, veteran Jason Terry is expected to fill in at the starting point guard position, while Pablo Prigioni receives more minutes. With all due respect to these two players, they do not have the defensive mentality that Beverley offers to the team. Both Terry and Prigioni are more offensive minded and don’t have the same physicality and nastiness of Patrick Beverley on defense.
The Houston Rockets may be able to get past the first round of the playoffs without Beverley, but the road is going to get tougher, and Beverley’s absence could eventually hurt them in the long run.
Patrick Beverley has been averaging 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals this season.