The Houston Rockets may not reach the NBA play-in tournament this season, but they’re building the foundation of a team that could become very competitive within a couple of years.
The hub of that foundation is big man Alperen Sengun, who has emerged as a legitimate star this season.
Unfortunately, he appeared to suffer a serious leg injury on Sunday against the Sacramento Kings and had to be helped off the court, and while he ultimately didn’t suffer a serious injury, he does have a badly sprained ankle and a bone bruise, per Adrian Wojnarowski.
ESPN Sources: Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun has escaped major injury on his lower right leg, suffering a severely sprained ankle and a bone bruise on his knee. Sengun’s been one of breakout stars in the league this year, averaging 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists. pic.twitter.com/fGlKYyufo7
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 11, 2024
Sengun is averaging 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists a game this season, and he is one of a number of big men who have led a revival of the center position in the NBA over the last few seasons.
Even though he had to leave Sunday’s game, the Rockets managed to defeat the playoff-bound Kings, 112-104, to improve to 29-35 on the season.
They’re 11th in the Western Conference, and they have already won seven more games than they did last season largely thanks to a defense that is seventh in the league in defensive rating.
As it was, Houston had little chance of getting into the play-in tournament since they’re 4.5 games behind the 10th-place Golden State Warriors, and Sengun’s injury may just about knock them out of contention for a play-in spot.
Less than a week ago, the Turkey native had put up 45 points, which was a season-high, on 19-of-32 shooting in a 114-101 win over Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
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