Patrick Patterson injury: Rockets forward out for season opener

Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale has announced that Patrick Patterson will miss the season opener against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night with a strained quad, according to Jason Friedman.

Marcus Morris will get the starting nod in Patterson's absence.

In his first two seasons, Patterson has proven to be a reliable player who can come off the bench and eat up minutes while providing some decent scoring ability at times.

Last year, the ex-Kentucky Wildcat standout averaged 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game with just over 23 minutes of playing time per night.

Patterson is expected to be a bigger contributor this season, with Houston having lost Luis Scola to the Phoenix Suns in the offseason. With the additions in the backcourt of Jeremy Lin and James Harden, the Rockets are banking on the big men such as Omer Asik and Patterson to be solid defenders and rebounders.