The Portland Trail Blazers are already missing some key players in their rotation, and it's highly possible that more are on their way to the sidelines.
Jason Quick of The Athletic reports that Hassan Whiteside, Rodney Hood, and Skal Labissiere are all questionable for their game versus the Atlanta Hawks.
Blazers list Hassan Whiteside (foot sprain), Rodney Hood (back spasms) and Skal Labissiere (sprained ankle) as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. Atlanta
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) November 9, 2019
Labissiere and Hood left their previous game against the Brooklyn Nets because of their respective injuries. Labissiere suffered a sprained ankle, while Hood exited the same game early due to back spasms. Whiteside, though he played in crunch time against Brooklyn, is reportedly suffering from a foot sprain.
As mentioned, the Blazers are already without some of their key rotation players. Obviously, Jusuf Nurkic is still out as he continues to recover from the compound leg fracture he suffered last season. Likewise, Zach Collins will be out for four months after he underwent surgery for his shoulder injury.
The Blazers are in dire need of help. With their two big men already out for an extended period, they cannot afford Whiteside and Labissiere to get hurt.
Nevertheless, it's still a long season anyway. Prioritizing their long-term health should be at the top of the list, even if it means missing a game or two.
Currently, Portland is at 3-6 on the season, sitting at 11th in the Western Conference. Their star backcourt tandem of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum might have to carry the team on their backs while they get their guys healthy.
If the boat starts to sink further, perhaps they might have to look into the waiver wire or even the G-League to bring in reinforcements that can help them in the short-term.
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