Rockets don’t expect Christian Wood, Kevin Porter Jr. to return this season

With only one game left to play, it doesn’t appear that Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. are likely to rejoin the Houston Rockets on the court in the 2020-21 season, per head coach Stephen Silas. Both have been sidelined by ankle sprains in the season’s closing weeks.

On Wednesday, Silas expressed guarded optimism that Wood and Porter might be able to play again before the season ends. But both were listed as out in Friday’s injury report, and in comments before the home finale against the Los Angeles Clippers, Silas indicated that they were unlikely to play against the Hawks, as well. “Probably not,” said Silas, asked if anyone who was out Friday will play in Sunday’s finale at Atlanta.

General manager Rafael Stone has referred to the 25-year-old Wood and 21-year-old Porter as part of Houston’s “young core” to build around, with rookies Jae’Sean Tate and KJ Martin also a part of that group.

Both Wood and Porter are in their first seasons with Houston. A 6-foot-10 big man, Wood averaged 21.0 points (51.4% FG, 37.4% on 3-pointers) and 9.6 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game. Porter, a 6-foot-4 guard, averaged 16.6 points and 6.3 assists in 32.1 minutes per game.

With the Rockets (16-54) owning the NBA’s worst record and having been eliminated from the playoffs for weeks, it doesn’t make sense for Houston to push the envelope with any of the team’s injured players.

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