Injury to Ennis hurts depth
The Rockets on Sunday suffered their first injury of the regular season to a rotation player with starter
James Ennis III going out with a strained right hamstring.
With Eric Gordon already in the starting lineup while Chris Paul completes his two-game suspension, Michael Carter-Williams likely will start Wednesday against the Utah Jazz, according to Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni.
Coming back from a sore right knee, Carter-Williams has been playing with a limit of 15 to 18 minutes per game. But with Paul out, Carter-Williams also plays as a backup point guard behind James Harden.
D’Antoni said he envisions Carter-Williams playing five minutes each half at point guard with the rest of his limited time as the starter at small forward before Gerald Green and possibly rookie
Gary Clark check in. Ennis also is expected to be out Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Rockets then will be off until the following Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The injury comes at a difficult time considering Paul is sidelined, forcing the Rockets to play without two starters. In the meantime, Carter-Williams is working to adjust to his role with the Rockets in limited playing time after missing the final three preseason games with the knee issues.
“He understands what we’re doing, but to react in an instant makes it a little tougher,” D’Antoni said. “Just got to get him confidence and just play through it. He’s fine. We have a lot of guys — not just him — trying to figure it out.
“Then the injuries come. Yeah, the NBA is unforgiving. The injuries. The suspension. You have to deal with it. You have to get through it. We know the issues. Let’s see if we can solve it.” Rockets center Marquese Chriss was upgraded to questionable with a sprained left ankle.
Nene, who has not played this season because of tightness in his right calf, was scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday after feeling soreness following his workout Sunday.
Jazz to put defense to test
While the Rockets try to shore up a defense that ranks 25th in the NBA through three games, the challenge has become greater with the lineup changes forced by an injury to James Ennis III and the suspension of Chris Paul.
Besides missing starters, the Rockets’ lack of chemistry and communication could be tested by changing the lineup for a second consecutive game and then again on Friday when Paul returns.
“It makes it challenging,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We have to defend much better. We’re not putting in the intensity that’s needed. Also, we’re not connected yet as a team, but that’s normal. You see that around the league when you have newer guys in, and we have young guys. It takes a while to get them to understand what we’re doing, everybody connected.
“We’re working through that. We’ve got to make progress. … But that’s probably our main issue that we have to do a better job. “
Utah had run hot and cold offensively, scoring 81 points in the first half against Golden State, but just 84 in a game against Memphis. The way the Jazz run their offensive, however, with an abundance of back cuts and other movement off the ball, could test the Rockets’ cohesiveness that has been lacking.
“The Jazz have a lot of really good 3-point shooters. Maybe (Monday against Memphis) was an off night,” guard James
Harden said. “We’re going to have to do a really good job contesting the 3, running them off the line and making them take tough 2s. They have really good offensive ballhandlers. We have to do a really good job of containing the ball and closing out to the 3s.
“Other guys have some opportunities to come in and play some more minutes. No matter from the top of the roster to the bottom of the roster, we’re all trying to come in and focus on the same things, and that’s trying to catch our rhythm and just playing well, limiting our mistakes.”