The Rockets face a difficult schedule! The sharpshooter will be out for at least a month, and Uduka named three minimum-salary substitutes

The Rockets encountered strong opponents in the first two regular season games this season, and both ended in narrow defeats. After that, the Rockets played 9 games and won 8 games, losing only to the Spurs. The loss to the Spurs was mainly due to Udoka himself. Later, he began to reflect and trusted Shepard more than the five major lineups. The Rockets' current record is 8 wins and 3 losses, ranking third in the Western Conference, which is in line with the outside world's expectations for them before the start of the season.

Of course, it is also admitted that the Rockets have not experienced many tests during this period, and the season schedule is relatively loose, which is conducive to the performance of veteran Durant. Some Western Conference teams have played 13 games, while the Rockets have only played 11 games.

Now that the Rockets' sweet schedule is over, they are about to face a difficult schedule. Although the Magic had a poor start, their financial strength is still good. They have recently won three consecutive games. The Cavaliers are the top four teams in the Eastern Conference, the Nuggets are the second-best team in the Western Conference after the Thunder, the Suns have improved their defense and have won five games in a row, and the Warriors have always been the Rockets' sufferer. This wave is not good.

The good news for the Rockets is that the team's morale is strong. Durant and his new teammates are working together more and more tacitly. Shepard has grown rapidly and become a good card in Uduka's hand. The bad news is that Rockets marksman Ethan will be sidelined for at least a month due to injury.

Ethan previously gave people the impression of being a very aggressive defensive player, and he was appreciated by the two Rockets head coaches. Ethan's influence on the defensive end is declining this season, mainly because he did not renew his contract in advance. In order to avoid injuries, he has to stop playing and focus on improving his data on the offensive end. Ethan's three-point shooting this season is eye-catching. He is the most accurate in the Rockets' rotation. Ethan's three-point shooting percentage this season reached 51%, which is higher than Shepard (48%). After he comes on the court, he can open up space for the Rockets.

The Rockets won a big victory in the last game. However, Ethan was not feeling well and was accidentally injured and had to withdraw from the game early. After the game, Uduka said that the specific extent of Ethan's injury would not be known until an examination. Houston reporter Ben DuBose revealed in the latest article that Ethan will rest for at least a month. According to the injury report provided by the American media CBS Sports, Ethan is not expected to return until December 18th, local time at the earliest.

Uduka revealed that Ethan suffered an oblique muscle strain and will be absent for 4 to 6 weeks.

Bill has proven that he is not good in the Suns, but Harden still does not believe in evil and recruited him to the Clippers. Now that Bill is injured again, Harden can only lament that he once again misjudged the person.

Uduka talked about Ethan's injury in an interview: This time he did not have a serious relapse of an old injury. It was just an accident. He will return soon. Overall, it is good news. He will not be retired for the season like Clippers guard Beal, nor will he suffer serious injuries such as hip fractures. We will let him recover slowly, keep him motivated, and encourage him to return to the team as soon as possible.

Finney Smith, another forward of the Rockets, will not be able to play in the near future, so who will divide Ethan's playing time during this period? Uduka named three minimum-salary substitutes.

Udoka revealed in an interview that he plans to use Aaron Holiday, Tate and Jeff Green to fill Eason's playing time.

Jeff Green, Tate and Jr. Holiday all signed veteran minimum salaries with the Rockets this offseason and have not played much playing time this season.

Jeff Green still had some gas last season, and now he is 39 years old. Jeff Green will only get playing time after the main force gets off work early. He has only played 5 games this season, averaging 2.4 points in 4 minutes per game, shooting 66.7% from the field and 66.7% from the three-point range.

Tate is a veteran of the Rockets, but he has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons. He lacks talent and has no shooting, so he has been robbed of his position by young people. Tate has played 7 games this season, averaging 1.1 points in 5 minutes per game and shooting 36.4% from the field.

Holiday took away some of Sheppard's playing time last season, but he can't keep the latter down this season. With Shepard playing, Holiday naturally had to guard the water dispenser. He played 6 games this season, averaging 3.8 points in 7 minutes per game, shooting 50% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range.