{"id":171421,"date":"2026-01-04T14:31:38","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T19:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=171421"},"modified":"2026-01-04T14:31:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T19:31:38","slug":"how-big-a-problem-is-senguns-injury-for-the-rockets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/01\/04\/how-big-a-problem-is-senguns-injury-for-the-rockets\/","title":{"rendered":"How Big A Problem Is Sengun’s Injury For The Rockets?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Houston Rockets fell to the Dallas Mavericks<\/a> on Saturday night, 110-104. The bigger concern for Houston is that All-Star center Alperen Sengun<\/a> went down just over a minute into the game. This comes just two games after returning from his last absence. Is this just the nature of being a big body in the bustling NBA?<\/p>\n

How Big A Problem Is Sengun’s Injury For The Rockets?<\/h2>\n

The 23-year-old Sengun has enjoyed mostly good health through his young career. His only significant injury came in the 2023-24 season. He missed 19 games total and sat out the remainder of the season after sustaining a grade-three sprain in his right ankle.<\/p>\n

Once again, it is Sengun\u2019s right ankle that is giving him trouble. This time, he clearly rolled it, vying for a defensive rebound<\/a> against Dallas\u2019 Daniel Gafford<\/a>. Currently, he\u2019s listed<\/a> as only day-to-day. Houston\u2019s next game will be a home game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Houston’s Next Game<\/h3>\n

Phoenix isn\u2019t a team that Houston can\u2019t beat without Sengun, by any means. They’ve had some practice recently, adding to a win streak without him<\/a>. Still, the Suns are 20-14 in the competitive Western Conference. Former Rocket Dillon Brooks<\/a> is thus far enjoying a career year with his new squad. He\u2019s averaging a career-high 21.4 points per game as effectively the second option after Devin Booker<\/a>. Showing that injury troubles aren’t just for bigs, Jalen Green<\/a>, the other key piece in the Kevin Durant<\/a> trade, has been out\u00a0with a hamstring injury<\/a>. Green has appeared in just two games for the team, both in early November<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Suns aren\u2019t a big team like the Mavericks. Oft-injured center Mark Williams<\/a> has admittedly looked like an excellent offseason addition<\/a> for the franchise. Per 36 minutes, Williams is averaging 19.4 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.8 offensive rebounds. But he only actually plays 24 minutes a game. They\u2019ve also been starting six-foot-six Royce O\u2019Neal<\/a> at power forward.<\/p>\n

It’s Not Easy Being Big<\/h3>\n

Against the Mavericks, the Rockets were also missing backup center and occasional starter Steven Adams<\/a>. When Sengun went down just one minute into the game, the floodgates opened for Dallas\u2019 bigs. Anthony Davis<\/a> knows something about the injury woes of NBA big men. In this game, Davis showed that, when healthy, he\u2019s still one of the most impactful two-way players in the league. He had 26 points on 9 of 15 shooting, to go with 12 rebounds and 5 blocks. Durant had 34 points of his own, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Davis’ stifling effect on the rest of Houston’s offense.<\/p>\n