Just four games into the season, Terrence Jones looked primed for the career-year many envisioned for the Houston Rockets' third-year power forward.
He averaged 14 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.5 assists and a steal through Houston's 4-0 start, posting an Effective Field Goal Percentage of 55.2. Then he was sidelined by a nerve issue that left him with no feeling in his lower left leg. He hasn't played since.
Jones is now inching closer to a return, but not long ago, the 23-year-old questioned whether he would ever play again, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jenny Dial Creech.
"In the beginning it was very scary, not being able to move my leg for a solid two weeks and having no ankle mobility, toe mobility and not knowing when it could be back was very difficult for me and my family," Jones said.
Now that he can see the light at the end of the tunnel, however, Jones is putting a positive spin on his absence.
"It's helped me hit another level for game and my IQ as a basketball player," Jones said. "Just to be able to stay in tune and watch film and watch them game by game has been a great way to learn for me.
"I can't wait to be back out there playing with my team," Jones added.
Unfortunately, Jones' place on this Rockets team is a lot less certain than it was just a couple of months ago.
Before his injury, Jones had started 75 out of his last 80 games – including the first four of this season – and logged nearly 30 minutes a night, looking like the potential answer to Houston's questions at power forward.
Since Jones last played on Nov. 3, however, the Rockets have handed the starting four-spot to Donatas Motiejunas, who's also enjoying a career-year in his third season.
In addition, the team made a splash by signing Josh Smith after he was waived by the Detroit Pistons and the veteran power forward has logged nearly 24 minutes per game, mostly off the bench.
It's unclear how Jones fits back into the mix. He's a good finisher inside with stretch-four potential and he looked like an improved defender in a small November sample size. He can certainly eat into some of Motiejunas's and Smith's minutes, but he also won't be logging nearly the same amount of court time he was.
Smith is signed through the end of the season, while Jones and Motiejunas can either ink extensions this offseason or become restricted free agents in 2016.
Jones's return from a scary absence is certainly a positive, feel-good story, but the Rockets may have some questions to address upon his return.
