Prior to Monday’s home game versus San Antonio, the Houston Rockets decided to not play three veterans (Eric Gordon, Dennis Schroder, and Christian Wood) from their current rotation, with a goal of evaluating younger prospects like rookies Daishen Nix and Usman Garuba.
Officially, each player was listed as questionable earlier in the day with a minor injury. According to the official update, Gordon has a sore right groin, Schroder a sore left shoulder, and Wood a tight left hamstring.
But while the team will never say it on the record, it certainly seems possible that the standings may have played a role. After winning back-to-back games over the weekend in Portland, the Rockets (20-55) are now in a three-way tie with Orlando and Detroit for the NBA’s worst record and the No. 1 positioning slot entering the 2022 draft lottery.
