The pain was sudden and severe. Ankles are not built to turn as far as Christian Wood’s had that night in Memphis. But the agony of the moment was just the start.
Wood’s thoughts as he processed what had happened and what it could mean tormented him next.
He was in the midst of an undeniable breakthrough season, the sort he had spent years working toward. He had been undrafted out of UNLV and cut by the Fujian Sturgeons when he was told he just wasn’t good enough. He had bounced around five NBA teams in five seasons. He had barely slipped onto the Detroit Pistons’ roster a season ago, surviving the final cut.
Dues had been paid in full when he became the Rockets’ most reliable player, teasing Shaquille O’Neal for not knowing of him and checking the All-Star balloting to revel in finding his name on lists with LeBron James and Zion Williamson.
Then, it not only came to a halt with the sprained right ankle in Memphis, he and the Rockets braced themselves for the MRI results they thought would reveal an injury that would be much worse.
“It was tough,” Wood said. “It was definitely hard to deal with at first. But then when I found out the news wasn’t as bad as it seemed, I was grateful and thankful that it could have been worse. I’m here. I’ll be back soon.
“I thought it was broken at the time just because of how high the swelling was and the way they thought it was broken. But it turned out it wasn’t. No structural damage. So, we’re good.”
Wood had gone down March 4 in Memphis, his third game after returning from previously spraining his right ankle against the Phoenix Suns. He had come back to play the second half of that game, sat out for three games and returned for three games, tweaking it Feb. 1 in Oklahoma City.
“I think I should have slowed down a little bit once I kind of tweaked it again,” he said. “I’m happy that it’s not as bad as it seemed and I’ll be back soon.”
How soon is still to be determined and too far off to put a timetable on when the Rockets believe he will play. The misstep in Memphis was so severe — Wood described the video as “pretty gruesome” — that any ankle would have been hurt. But his determination to play through the previous injuries this season will likely make the Rockets extra cautious.
Wood had posted on his Instagram account that he would be back before the All-Star break but said Saturday he really does not know if that will be possible. He guessed his ankle was 80 percent toward what it will need to be.
“If I had it my way, I would tell you I could play next game,” Wood said. “But I don’t think my coaches or teammates would allow that. I don’t think they would even let me on the court. But I’m thirsty and happy to try to get back. And I know Jeremy (Hassler, the Rockets’ “soft tissue specialist”) and Jason (Biles, the head athletic trainer) are trying to do everything they can to try to help me get back. I want to come back before All-Star break.”
There is no question about how badly he has been missed. The Rockets had won seven of eight games before Wood’s injury. They have lost all seven games since.
Wood has been their leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker, with the team’s best shooting and 3-point percentages. His averages of 22 points on 42.1 percent 3-point shooting and 10.2 rebounds are career bests.
Even beyond those numbers, his consistency in his first season with such a key role had been striking. He has scored at least 18 points in 15 of his 17 games played, scoring at least 20 in 13 outings.
When Wood makes at least half his shots, the Rockets have gone 8-4. They lost the five games he did not.
Wood had earned so much attention for his play, he was eighth in the All-Star balloting among Western Conference frontcourt players. It’s a spot he maintained even while he was out for the next two weeks of voting.
“It’s crazy,” Wood said. “I would never have imagined I would have those type of votes, from where I was last year, as the 15th man fighting for a roster (spot) to now I’m eighth in the All-Star voting. You look up and you see LeBron James at the top and I’m not that far from that. It’s a dream come true if I’m actually named an All-Star. I wouldn’t even know how to tell you that feeling.”
He likely will not be in Atlanta for this season’s All-Star Game. But as he smiled broadly just as the thought and described the progress he has made, the feeling of just being able to play again seemed likely to be rewarding, especially when considering what he expected that night as he was helped from the court in Memphis.
“I’m doing great,” Wood said. “The rehab process has been going extremely well. I’ve been attacking it. Everything’s looking good.”
jonathan.feigen@chron.com
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Rockets’ Christian Wood, while still out, looks at bright side of injury - Houston Chronicle
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