Houston Rockets center Alperen Şengün sustained a Grade 3 right ankle sprain and a bone bruise in his knee during Sunday night’s game in Sacramento, league sources tell The Athletic.
Şengün is expected to miss several weeks, and the injury will likely end Şengün’s regular season, a breakout campaign in which he averaged 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game in 63 games. The Rockets (29-35) are five games out of the final Play-In spot in the Western Conference.
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Şengün underwent X-rays after Sunday’s game and an MRI on Monday to determine that the injuries won’t require surgery, a team source confirmed. ESPN first reported the news of the MRI.
Şengün, unable to walk under his own power, was rolled off the floor in a wheelchair after suffering the right leg injury during the final minute of the 112-104 win Sunday. He collided with Kings center Domantas Sabonis.
Immediately after attempting to contest a transition layup by Sabonis, Şengün fell to the ground and grabbed at his right knee. On the television broadcast, Şengün could be heard talking to lead team trainer Jason Biles about his ankle.
Alperen Sengun was taken off the court in a wheelchair after an apparent leg injury 💔
🎥@BleacherReportpic.twitter.com/ItHm8D9WcO
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) March 11, 2024
What this means for Houston
This injury comes at the worst possible time for a Rockets team coming off a rare successful road trip and a particularly terrible time for Şengün, who was playing some of the best basketball of his young career. Houston (29-35), which won four out of its last five games, was building momentum in an attempt to catch the Golden State Warriors in 10th place in the Western Conference. Golden State recently lost star point guard Steph Curry to an ankle injury.
The Rockets’ offense has been inconsistent all season long, but Şengün has cemented himself as the team’s most important player, most notably in last week’s dominant 45-point, 16-rebound showing versus No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama.
Without Şengün’s services, the next man up is reserve center Jock Landale, who has enjoyed a solid stretch of play recently and reasserted himself in the rotation after struggling for most of the year. Rockets coach Ime Udoka, who is a firm believer in veteran forward Jeff Green, can also revert to more small-ball lineups with Green lining up at big. Second-year versatile forward Jabari Smith Jr. is also an option should they opt to go that route.
Required reading
- Alperen Şengün drops career-high 45 points, outduels Victor Wembanyama in Rockets’ win vs. Spurs
- Jalen Green and Cam Whitmore are the Rockets duo waiting on the wings: The IkoSystem
(Photo: Darren Yamashita / USA Today)