Alperen Sengun injury: After a terrifying fall, the Rockets star departs the game against the Kings in a wheelchair
With the Rockets leading by eight points and less than a minute remaining, the play was made. Domantas Sabonis, the center for the Kings, snatched the ball and sprinted to the hoop for a layup. Sengun went after him and tackled him, but he landed badly and appeared to be in severe pain right away.
Sengun stayed there for a few minutes on the ground. In the end, he had to be helped into a wheelchair and off the floor.
For the Rockets, Sengun was having a breakthrough season. Sengun has rewarded his new coach Ime Udoka’s decision to center much more of Houston’s offense around him with 21.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, and five assists per game this season. Sengun is a third-year center. Houston was still predicted to be close to the top of the ballot for the Most Improved Player award, despite his decline in the standings.
Sengun’s injury is still not fully known as of yet, but Houston’s front court is quite thin. Steven Adams, who the Rockets acquired before the trade deadline in the hopes that he would serve as their backup center the next year, is sidelined for the current campaign after suffering an injury in Memphis.
Tari Eason, a young forward, is also sidelined for the whole season with a leg injury. In the Eastern Conference, the Rockets are already 4.5 games adrift of the No. 10 spot. Sengun’s tiny chance of making the playoffs is probably gone if they miss a big chunk of play.