The Houston Rockets were dealt a potentially brutal blow recently when the team squared off with the Miami Heat. While Chris Paul went after a loose ball in the first half, he immediately pulled up, grabbing his hamstring in the process. Shortly after, the veteran guard made his way to the locker room.
Here’s a look at the play, courtesy of NBA on TNT, which resulted in what’s been revealed as a left hamstring strain.
.@KristenLedlow gives an update on Chris Paul, who suffered a strained left hamstring and will not return to tonight’s game.
The injury has to bring terrible flashbacks to the 2018 Western Conference Finals for Rockets fans. In that series, Paul tweaked his hamstring and wound up missing Games 6 and 7 against the Golden State Warriors, setting up Stephen Curry and company to come back and win the series.
Original Update on Chris Paul’s Status
With the news that this was a hamstring strain, there’s little question that Paul will miss some time. This is something Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed shortly after the game. Although D’Antoni didn’t provide much, he told Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press that “it’ll be some time.”
While the memories of last season’s playoffs weigh heavily in the heads of Rockets fans, hamstring issues are something Paul has dealt with throughout his career. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks broke down, he’s been sidelined seven times since 2009 due to a hamstring injury. Six of those injuries were to the left one as well.
Here is a complete list of the Chris Paul hamstring issues that have plagued him since 2009:
* 5/18 (L-2)
* 4/18 (L-1G)
* 3/18 (L-3)
* 12/16 (L-7G)
* 5/15 (L-2G)
* 11/13 (R-1G)
*1/12 (L-5G)
As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first revealed, there was optimism that Paul would miss just two-to-three weeks potentially. This report was followed up by Mark Berman of FOX 26, who cited that Paul’s MRI showed a Grade-2 left hamstring strain.
From the #Rockets:
The two-week timeline cited above has now gotten here and it seems as though Paul isn’t much closer to returning at this point.
Latest on Chris Paul’s Injury Status & Return Timeline
Paul’s outlook hasn’t improved and he doesn’t sound overly optimistic about an immediate return to the floor. As Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle revealed, the guard was asked about his potential return timeline during the team’s last game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
In short, Paul stated that he has “no idea” when he’ll be back. It’s worth noting that Atkins did say the guard dislikes discussing injuries with the media, but that he expanded at least a bit on it.
“I’m walking,” he said. “I’m better than I was in Miami. Mentally I’m getting better.”
Paul proceeded to explain that he doesn’t think the hamstring injury will be a situation where it’s “nagging” over time which is obviously good news. At this point, though, Rockets fans may want to prepare to see the All-Star spending a bit more time on the sidelines in the coming week or so at least.
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Chris Paul Injury Update: Little Optimism on Rockets Star’s Timeline