NBA Rumors: Rockets' Alperen Şengün Has Sprained Ankle Injury After Wheelchair Exit

The Houston Rockets received some good news regarding big man Alperen Şengün on Monday.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Şengün suffered a "severely sprained ankle and a bone bruise on his knee" during Sunday's win over the Sacramento Kings, an injury that looked much worse after he left the court on a wheelchair.

It remains to be seen what the timeline will be for his recovery, though with just 18 games remaining and the Rockets 4.5 games out of the final Play-In Tournament berth, it's possible Şengün's season is over.

Regardless, avoiding ligament damage in his knee is excellent news, preventing what could have been a far longer recovery timeline and one that might have extended in the 2024-25 season. The concern with serious knee injuries is the possibility they become a recurring problem, especially for big men.

The 21-year-old center has been superb 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. There's a strong argument to be made that Houston's rebuilding efforts are now more centered around Şengün than any other player on the team, including Jalen Green.

Either way, he's a crucial piece in an exciting young core for the Rockets, which also includes Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason. The team looked like it might have one last push for the postseason left in the tank, winning four of its past five games, though Şengün's injury will probably extinguish those dreams.

Still, the Rockets have some nice young pieces in place and strong draft capital going forward, including Brooklyn's first-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft. The team isn't at the same stage in its rebuild as the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, but there's plenty of reason for optimism in Houston.