Houston Rockets center Steven Adams has undergone season-ending surgery on his left ankle, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Wednesday.
Adams, 32, suffered the injury in a Jan. 18 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans while guarding Zion Williamson at the rim. Sliding over to help Alperen Sengun defend Williamson, Adams jumped to contest a shot from the Pelicans forward and immediately grabbed at his left ankle upon landing.
Adams is averaging 5.8 points and 8.6 rebounds in 22.8 minutes for a Rockets team that leads the NBA in rebounding (49 per game). No. 3 center Clint Capela has taken over as the primary backup behind Sengun, and it’s likely Houston will also use forward Jabari Smith Jr. at center in some of its lineups.
It’s another significant injury for the Rockets, who are down starting point guard Fred VanVleet. Houston, however, is still among the top seeds in the West at 28-16 and is just two games out of the No. 2 spot.
ESPN’s Michael C. Wright contributed to this report.