After being ruled out for the remainder of the regular season, Rockets big man Alperen Sengun could return to the lineup sooner than expected, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reports.
Sengun has missed Houston’s last six games with a Grade 3 ankle sprain and when the injury occurred, it was being reported that it would sideline him for the season.
But things may have changed.
“It’s within the realm of possibility that Sengun could return during the regular season,” MacMahon said on The Hoop Collective. “When he got hurt – and obviously avoided a major injury – but it’s still a significant sprain of his ankle. So, we kind of assumed he’d be done for the season because they weren’t gonna have anything to play for.
“I was told there’s a very real chance that it could come down to late in the regular season and a, ‘Hey, does it make sense to bring him back?’ And obviously, the number one thing is going to be, ‘Is he cleared, medically?’
“They’re not going to bring him back if they’re not playing for something, but they’re putting themselves in a position where they’ve got a chance to play for something.”
Since the Rockets have won eight games straight and the Warriors are choking their season away, Houston are now one win away from passing Golden State for 10th spiot in the West
At 35-35, the Rockets have a genuine chance to earn the final play-in tournament spot in the Western Conference, which would be a win for a team that has ended up in the lottery the past three seasons.
Having Sengun back on the court would be a major boost for the team.
The center is averaging 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, five assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 53.7 percent from the field and 29.7 percent from beyond the arc.
The big man is enjoying a breakout season and is posting career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game.