Steven Adams Injury Update: 1 Key Matchup For Houston
· Yahoo Sports
The Houston Rockets are off to a 4-0 start in the 2026-27 NBA season. The team is firing on all cylinders, and so far, it looks like two-time All-Star Alperen Şengün has made an All-NBA leap. But there is one dark cloud on an otherwise clear-for-launch horizon: Steven Adams‘ injury situation.
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Steven Adams’ Injury
Sep 22, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (12) poses for a picture during media day at Hilton Americas hotel. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesRockets Head Coach Ime Udoka has said he expects Adams to miss a week or two after the team performed imaging on the big man’s calf. The assumption is that the Rockets are being hyper-cautious with their injury-prone Kiwi center. The exact injury has been identified as a soleus strain, commonly associated with overuse.
Looking at the Rockets’ schedule, a two-week hiatus would see Adams miss seven games, possibly back in time for a clash with Rockets rivals, the Golden State Warriors on November 11th, and an NBA Cup Night game versus the Utah Jazz on November 13th.
Of the games he may or may not miss, the Rockets would probably miss him most for a Denver Nuggets showdown on November 9th. Another big body to throw at Nikola Jokic is always handy, and the most fundamentally fanatical fans would miss out on possibly the two best box-out artists in the league testing their skills.
Adams’ Injury History
Adams’ injury history has been a recurring problem for the Rockets since his acquisition in 2024. In fact, Adams’s season was already over when the Rockets traded for him in the middle of 2023-24. He was recovering from knee (right posterior cruciate ligament) surgery that ended his 2022-23 season at 42 games.
Adams went on to play 58 games for the Rockets in 2024-25, and 32 in 2025-26. The good news for Rockets fans is that the worst of Adam’s injury history has pertained to knee and ankle problems. A slight calf strain is not necessarily something to worry about long-term, then.
How Adams’ Injury Affects the Rockets
When Adams has played, he has made Houston a dominant offensive rebounding team. Much has been made of his partnership with Şengün to that effect, but he has also served as an exceptional back-up when Şengün sits. Despite Adams’ lack of scoring, he keeps offenses humming along with his passing and bone-bruising screens.
But Adams has only suited up for one of the Rockets’ four victories so far in 2026-27. He had four points and two rebounds, finishing with a +6 plus/minus in nine minutes against the San Antonio Spurs.
Possibly due to Adams’ availability, the Rockets’ rebounding and passing stats look different so far from previous seasons. Thankfully, though, the offense looks reinvigorated by an infusion of new Rockets guards.
Also relevant is that the Rockets haven’t felt the need to fall back on centers Clint Capela and Oscar Tshiebwe. The six-foot-ten Capela is averaging just 7.7 minutes per game, four games into the season (he didn’t play in the Rockets-Spurs clash on Friday). The six-foot-eight Tshiebwe has yet to play a minute for the franchise.
Rockets “Small Ball”
Instead, the Rockets have relied on Jabari Smith Jr. for rebounding and rim protection. Ironically, the additional box-out responsibility may be contributing to his career-low rebounding average of 6.8 per game. His 1.0 blocks per game, however, are a marginal career-high.
Smith, six-foot-eleven, opened the season with a 30-point spectacle versus the Dallas Mavericks and has maintained 40.9% shooting on 5.5 three-point attempts per game. Between him and Kevin Durant, the Rockets have the size and length to play “small ball” in stretches without giving up any real size advantage.
The Last Word
Frequent Adams injuries were predictable for Rockets fans this season. It’s likely the team saw it coming as well, and attempted to pivot away from their reliance on a double big strategy accordingly. The best way for the Rockets to use Adams is sparingly in key matchups (such as the Nuggets game he might miss). What really matters, though, is key matchups in the postseason.
Having Adams ready and available for a seven-game series might make all the difference in the Rockets’ season. These early little hiatuses should therefore be common and encouraged. An appropriate name might be “Adams’ apple games” since, for Adams, an apple a day keeps the Doctor away, and for Rockets fans, every time the team has to play without him, they’ll take a big gulp.
Featured Image: REUTERS/Lam Yik
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