SAN ANTONIO — Jock Landale will miss his first game of the 2023-24 season Friday night when the Houston Rockets close their two-game road trip against the San Antonio Spurs.
Coach Ime Udoka announced that Landale is in the league's concussion protocol after he was hit in the head twice during Wednesday's season-opening loss to the Orlando Magic. The incident took place in the second quarter, which led to Landale playing nine minutes.
"He is currently going through the steps, and we will know more as he clears the hurdles," Udoka said. "He got cleared on certain things...I had two one year as a player, and it's similar to what I had to deal with."
Landale has dealt with a pair of injuries since joining the Rockets as a free agent in July. He suffered a significant left ankle injury during the FIBA Basketball World Cup in August, which forced Landale to miss three preseason games.
Last season, Landale appeared in 69 games with four starts for the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 6.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 12.7 minutes.
Landale was one of four players during the 2022-23 campaign who averaged at least 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds while playing less than 15.0 minutes per game. Out of all the players who appeared in at least 40 games last season, Landale tied for 13th in offensive rebounds per 36 minutes played (4.4).
In addition to Landale, the Rockets will also be without Tari Eason against the Spurs. The Rockets sidelined Eason for two-to-three weeks following a "stress reaction" in his left leg.
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