thelesterlee
The Houston Rockets were attempting to make a late-season push for the 10th seed and a chance to sneak into the playoffs through the play-in game. Those dreams may have come to an end on Sunday after losing their star center, Alperen Sengun, in a brutal accident leaving his leg in shambles.
Prayers up to Alperen Sengun. 🙏
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 11, 2024
That sucks.
In the final minutes of Houston’s 112-104 victory over the Sacramento Kings, Alperen Sengun went up to contest a Domantas Sabonis layup in transition and his leg landed inside out. A truly disgusting injury.
How did this Alperen Sengun injury affect the Houston Rockets?
This season, Alperen Sengun is averaging, 21 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5 assists on 53% shooting from the field. And although the 21-year-old Turkish superstar only plays around 30 minutes a night, the team runs the offense through him and he’s clearly the most important player on their team.
The Rockets are loaded with talent though, Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks are professionals who have played in big games in the past. Jalen Green is capable of getting hot on any given night—ask Draya. Jabari Smith Jr is a steady hand. Cam Whitmore has the highest ceiling of anyone on this team.
However, none of those guys can protect the rim the Sengun does, nor do they have the offensive gravity Sengun provides with his ability to start a possession at the top of the key and either drive to the basket on the slower big man guarding him or orchestrate the offense and use his size to create passing lanes for cutters.
The Rockets are 5.5 games behind the Warriors for the 10th seed and now they don’t have their best player while the Warriors very much still have Steph Curry.
There is a 0% chance the Rockets made the playoffs. Time to hang it up. 1-2-3 CANCUN.
towel guy did not read the room pic.twitter.com/AQ6v7d96TE
— Slightly Biased (@BiasedSlightly) March 11, 2024
Shout out to the Rockets towel guy. He reminds me of myself when I used to bus tables and my manager would yell at me for ‘standing around’ so I had to constantly look busy and pretend like I was the hardest worker on Earth. My man is out here slinging towels at a guy in the midst of the worst day of his life with zero feeling in his leg.
I doubt the towel guy gets PTO but if he does, I pray he uses them. Don’t be a hero. Get some rest.
Is this Alperen Sengun injury the end of the Rockets season? Leave a comment below. Respond on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee. Let me know if you think Alperen Sengun is the best player on the Rockets so I can spam you with Cam Whitmore highlights.
