The Portland Trail Blazers are preparing to face the upstart Houston Rockets on Wednesday in H-Town. The Rockets have faded from the top eight of the Western Conference and are now battling to get back into the limelight.

Meanwhile, Coach Chauncey Billups' Blazers team ranks 14th out of 15 teams in the West. The Blazers have relied on Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant to lead the team on offense, while young guns Scoot Henderson and Deandre Ayton have waited in the wings.

It was revealed recently that guard Shaedon Sharpe's injury was worse than originally thought. Guard Scoot Henderson recorded a mind-blowing stat in the team's recent loss to the Thunder.

On Tuesday, Billups revealed his latest injury update on Ayton heading into the next series of games.

Ayton Practices for Blazers 

Ayton went through practice on Tuesday according to Coach Billups, as shared in a report by Casey Holdahl on X.

“Chauncey Billups said Deandre Ayton went through practice today and looked great, so a return sometime this week, if not on Wednesday, seems very likely,” the journalist wrote.

“This good news,” one fan said in response.

“It's over for the league,” another fan added.

Blazers Seek End to Four-Game Skid 

The Blazers have lost four games in a row including the aforementioned loss to Oklahoma City. The Thunder won by 62 points in that one, illustrating the team's crying need for reinforcements.

Ayton hasn't lived up to his lofty status as a former top five pick, but he provides a talented frontcourt option that Billups can use to clog up the paint, snag rebounds and score at a relatively high clip.