Şengün is out several weeks after escaping serious injury
The Houston Rockets knew they would be without center Alperen Şengün immediately after he went down, shouting in pain and holding his knee in Sacramento on Sunday. By Monday, it was just as clear the news could have been much worse.
Şengün was determined after test results to have a badly sprained right ankle and bruised bones on his right knee and ankle, but no further damage was found, a person with knowledge of the results said. No surgeries will be necessary. Şengün will miss at least several weeks.
“Overall, very good news,” the person familiar with the test results said.
The Rockets had braced themselves for the results, hoping the damage was limited but knowing there was a chance the injuries could require a rehab that would last well beyond the balance of the season, which ends April 14.
It took only a few seconds for it to be clear Şengün had suffered a severe injury. Minutes later, as he was wheeled off the floor, describing his ankle as wrecked after he had grabbed his right knee in pain, it was apparent he had two serious injuries that put his return this season in jeopardy and brought concerns that he
could be out for much longer than even the five weeks remaining on the schedule.
The damage to the Rockets’ season — at a time it was on an upswing driven in large part by Ş engün — will be determined in the coming days and weeks.
The Rockets have been playing well, bouncing back after a poor stretch just before and immediately after the All-star break.
Going into Tuesday’s game against the Spurs, they have won four of five games and led the Clippers by 20 in the lone loss. They had won three consecutive road games, their longest winning streak away from Houston this season, with two of those wins against the Suns and Kings, teams that went into those games in playoff
position.
The Rockets even have put themselves somewhat in the play-in chase, sitting five games behind the Warriors for the final play-in spot with 18 games to go. Though that would still render their chances to extend the season a long shot, the schedule could offer a chance to make a move. The Warriors have road games this week against the Mavericks and Lakers. The Rockets were hoping to make up ground with games against the Spurs and Wizards, the last-place teams in the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively.
The Rockets had their starting lineup together for more games than any other team in the NBA except Oklahoma City, but without Şengün, they will have to regroup quickly. No one on the roster approximates Şengün’s strengths inside as a scorer or playmaker.
That was particularly evident in the Rockets’ recent five-game surge, during which Şengün averaged 24.4 points, 12 rebounds and 5.4 assists. He had the best game of his career to start that run, dominating a matchup with the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama with 45 points, 16 rebounds and five steals, all establishing or matching his career highs. In his next game, he had career bests of 19 rebounds and 14 assists while scoring 23 points against the Clippers.
Opposing teams have routinely sent double- and triple-teams to defend engün, with several using zones and nearly all swarming to the lane when he begins his moves. He had become the focal point in the Rockets’ offense and was Western Conference player of the week in January. But it was his tour de force performance against Wembanyama and the Spurs that was an undeniable statement.
“He’s fearless,” Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “Obviously, he attacked the big fella (Wembanyama). He had a big night scoring. His change of speeds in that painted area, his shot fakes, his ball fakes — he never lets you get very comfortable.”