Houston Rockets: Will Chris Paul return this week?
After recently being cleared to resume all basketball-related activites, recent reports out of Houston are indicating that Chris Paul might be ready to make his way back onto the court sooner than expected.
After getting off to one of the best starts in franchise history this season, the Houston Rockets could be one step closer to getting one of their top stars back in the lineup by the end of this week, which could prove to be vital in helping the team reach its ultimate goal.
According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Chris Paul has been scheduled to ramp up and undergo a vast series of high-intensity workouts over the next few days, just shortly after being cleared to resume all basketball-related activities this past weekend. Head coach Mike D’Antoni recently expressed that he expects to have him back for the Rockets road tilt against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.
"“We don’t want to push it,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “If not Thursday, then we’ll see about Saturday [in Memphis]. He worked out hard [Sunday]. We’ll see how he feels Tuesday and Wednesday. That [having Paul play on Thursday] is what we’re shooting for.”"
https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/929073290462687232
Paul, who was acquired by the Rockets in a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Clippers this past offseason, has been sidelined for the past four weeks due to a bruised left knee injury he suffered during Houston’s penultimate preseason contest against the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 11.
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The following news could not have come at a better time for fans across Clutch City, who can now finally exhale with some sort of a timetable for when the 32-year-old point guard may return and take the floor alongside James Harden in the backcourt.
Houston currently stands atop of the Western Conference standings with an 11-3 record through their first 14 games of the 2017-18 regular season. Heading into Tuesday night’s matchup with the Toronto Raptors on a six-game winning streak, the Rockets have managed to defeat their opponents by an average of 17.6 points per game in November, and rank among the top 10 in offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, and net rating.
The Rockets have yet to officially decide when Paul will officially return. However, one can expect for the nine-time All-Star to help Houston alleviate its offensive dropoff with the second unit once fully healthy, and serve as the primary spark plug on the defensive end. He’ll also take the burden off of players such as Eric Gordon and Luc Mbah A Moute to create opportunities for themselves, and Harden, who currently boasts one of the highest usage rates in the league.
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"“We’re just going to keep improving,” said Rockets forward Trevor Ariza, per Feigen.“It’s going to be a big adjustment, because he’s been out. But I don’t think that it will take too long for him to find a rhythm because he’s always in tune to what we’re doing. Getting him back is going to be exciting. We can’t wait.”"