James Harden isn’t having quite the start to this season he was hoping for. The Rockets lost to the Jazz 100-89 on Wednesday night pushing Houston to 1-3 on the season. The bigger story though was with Harden. The reigning MVP winner left the floor for the locker room five minutes early without an explanation.
Anytime a star player leaves a game early it’s concerning. It’s particularly worrisome for Harden when he’s known for playing through bumps and bruises.
After the loss, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni informed media that Harden left the game due to hamstring tightness and that he didn’t know how severe the injury was or how it would impact his future status. Hamstring injuries are just one of those types that can flame up at a moment’s notice, as the Rockets know all too well after losing Chris Paul in the Western Conference Finals with a hamstring issue.
Mike D'Antoni says James Harden left the game with tightness in his hamstring. Will be reevaluated. pic.twitter.com/i0kPZaF39X
— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) October 25, 2018
Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said James Harden left due to tightness in his hamstring. D'Antoni is not certain about the severity. Harden will be re-evaluated Thursday.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 25, 2018
This isn’t great for Houston. Its already missing Chris Paul due to suspension and right before he comes back Harden goes down with an injury. The Rockets have had a slow start to the season, and while they should be fine, it would be better for them to work through some of those early struggles with a full and healthy roster. They’ve done anything but that so far.
Harden and the Rockets should be fine long term. As long as they get through this rough patch and get a full roster back it won’t be too much of an issue for their longterm goal of making the playoffs and competing for a championship. That said, it’s never good to see a star player go down with an injury of any kind. The Rockets will surely be waiting on every update as they wait for him to return to game shape.
