Alperen Sengun went down with an apparent leg injury in the Houston Rockets’ win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. Sengun appeared to have suffered a severe leg injury as he head to leave the game on a wheelchair. On Monday, the Rockets and NBA fans received great news as the Turkish breakout star avoided a serious injury.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Şengün suffered a “severely sprained ankle and a bone bruise on his knee”. There is no official timeline for his return but with just 18 games remaining on the season and the Rockets 4.5 games out of the play-in spots, the year might be over for the young superstar center.
Sengun made big strides as a player during his third season and become a staple in the Houston Rockets lineup under Ime Udoka. The 21-year-old center has been exceptional in his third NBA season, averaging 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, five assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 53.7 percent from the field.
Avoiding a serious injury means that Sengun will be back in action without any repercussion in his career. Many times knee and ankle injuries can hurt big men in the long-run but Houston’s star thankfully avoided a dangerous situation for his basketball future.
“Injuries are part of the game,” VanVleet said of Alperen Sengun getting injured, via CBS Sports. “We all understand that when we signed up, but it’s always tough to see your teammates go down, especially the young ones who haven’t really been through it before.”
Promising Houston Rockets continue road trip without Alperen Sengun
With Alperen Sengun out with no timetable for his return, the Houston Rockets hope that they can finish the season strong and make a serious case for the 10th seed in the Western Conference. Coming off a statement win over the Sacramento Kings, the Ime Udoka’s team us visiting San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.
The Rockets are set to play the final contest of a three-game road trip that began with wins in Phoenix and Sacramento. The Rockets are based their improvement in their young core with Alperen Sengun spearheading an emerging group full of young talent. The exciting young core includes Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore and Tari Eason.
In addition, Jalen Green is an absolute stud during the last week after an up-and-down year. He became the youngest Rocket to reach the 4,000 points and he’s averaging 25.3 points over his last six games shooting 45.7 percent from the field during that span.
The Rockets are set to face the Spurs on Tuesday in hope of keeping the good momentum and adding to their teams’ win total. Houston are sitting at 29-35 with 18 games remaining for the end of the regular season.
