eric-gordon.jpg
USATSI

The Houston Rockets will be without guard Eric Gordon for at least a month, as the sharpshooter sustained a moderate groin strain in the team's loss to the Sacramento Kings Thursday night, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Gordon was helped off the court in the third quarter when he sustained the non-contact injury, and it was ruled a groin injury before an MRI was conducted. 

Despite Houston going through somewhat of a rebuilding year, losing Gordon is a sizable loss as the veteran guard was putting up 17 points a game this season off the bench in a bounce-back campaign after missing a big chunk of last season due to injury. If Gordon misses the full six weeks with this injury, that means he'll be sidelined until at least the start of May, which at that point there would only be about 10 games left in the regular season. 

Gordon's injury also likely means that his chances of being traded to a contender are low, as he was a trade target for some teams before the march 25 deadline, per Wojnarowski. This is just the latest blow for Gordon who battled with injuries all last season, including knee problems that limited him to just 35 games, and suffering an ankle sprain in a scrimmage down in the Orlando bubble before the season restarted. 

He's been an integral piece to Houston's hopes the last few seasons during their championship contention, ranking among the league's best in 3-point shooting, and winning Sixth Man of the Year during the 2016-17 season. 

For the Rockets, who are 11-24 and 14th in the Western Conference, losing Gordon is just the latest nail in their coffin. Houston is already trying to work through trade possibilities with veteran forward P.J. Tucker, who is reportedly frustrated that the team has not found a trade destination for him yet. Now with Gordon's injury, it's looking like this team is certainly headed for the lottery. The plus side of that is Houston will be able to draft a potential future centerpiece for their team in the 2021 Draft, the downside, though, is having to figure out what direction this team wants to go in moving forward.