Disaster Strikes: Rocket Star’s Broken Hand Deals Crushing Blow to…
Ahead of his club’s impending game against the Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka revealed to reporters that starting power forward Jabari Smith Jr. broke his left hand during a team shootaround and will be out for the next 4-8 weeks, reports Brian Robb of MassLive.
Udoka, of course, coached Boston to the 2022 NBA Finals during his one-and-done season at the helm of the Celtics, before being fired for an improper workplace relationship. Joe Mazzulla, one of his deeper-bench assistants, was promoted to replace him, and led the Celtics to the title in 2024.
Robb writes that center Kristaps Porzingis is slated to make his return to the Celtics lineup for the first time since spraining his ankle on Christmas Day against the Philadelphia 76ers. Three-time All-Star small forward Jaylen Brown, however, remains out.
