The Houston Rockets received some unfortunate injury news ahead of their Friday night contest against the Boston Celtics.
According to head coach Ime Udoka, Jabari Smith Jr. fractured his left hand at afternoon shootaround in Houston. He's expected to undergo surgery and could miss anywhere from four to eight weeks.
Rockets say Jabari Smith Jr. fractured his left hand at shootaround today and will miss 4-to-8 weeks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 3, 2025
"At some point in practice he got hit on the hand," Udoka told reporters. "It was very minimal and then the pain got worse. ... It was getting worse throughout [practice] and he got it looked at. They checked him and found it."
Udoka went on to explain that the team is waiting on a second opinion before surgery is scheduled.
Smith has started every game he's played in since the Rockets drafted him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft. While he's averaging a career-low 11.9 points per game in 2024, his Houston team is 22–11 on the season heading into Friday—good for the third seed in the Western Conference.
Tip-off against Boston is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday from Houston's Toyota Center.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jabari Smith Jr. Sidelined After Sustaining Hand Injury at Rockets Shootaround.
