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In a tragic turn of events, Rockets star Alperen Sengun was carted off the floor in a wheelchair after suffering a lower leg injury against the Kings on March 10.
As seen in the videos below, Sengun fell awkwardly to the floor while trying to contest a transition layup from Domantas Sabonis. He immediately clutched his right knee while grimacing in pain, causing all the players on the court to surround him with worried faces.
Sengun eventually needed help from his teammates and Rockets medical personnel to be placed in a wheelchair. As he was being carted off, a devastated Sengun covered his head with his hands even as both his teammates and Kings players tried to console him.
After the game, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported via X that Sengun would be undergoing an MRI on his right knee and ankle on Monday, March 11.
Alperen Sengun Likely Done for the Season
Regardless of the severity of the injury, it appears Sengun has likely played his last game for the Rockets in the 2023-24 season. Considering that the eleventh-seeded Rockets (29-35) are all but ruled out of contention for the tenth and final play-in spot, it doesn’t make sense for the franchise to bring back Sengun for the final 18 or so games of the season.
Unless Sengun’s injury keeps him out of the 2024-25 season, Houston has a realistic chance to make the playoffs in a year from now. Many believe the Rockets boast one of the best young cores in the NBA featuring the likes of Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Cam Whitmore, Amen Thompson, and Jalen Green, all of whom took considerable strides this season. Furthermore, the Rockets have created the perfect balance of old and new, with proven veterans such as Dillon Brooks, Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams helping the young stars develop rapidly.
Comparisons to Nikola Jokic
If Sengun is indeed done for the season, Rockets fans can look back fondly on his breakout campaign, during which he averaged career-highs in points (21.2), rebounds (9.4), assists (5.0), and steals (1.2) through 65 games as Houston’s starting center. Over the past year or so, Sengun, for his ability to pass the ball, has drawn comparisons to Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, the reigning NBA Finals MVP and consensus best player in the league.
Speaking to JJ Redick on “The Old Man & the Three” on January 25, Sengun was asked if the tag “Baby Jokic” bothers him and whether he has a relationship with Jokic.
“Not for now. I am still young, but after some point, yeah,” Sengun said on the Jokic comparisons. “They mean, like, my game is similar to him [Jokic]. Is it true, though? We kind of play the same game. When they were telling me the first time I came here [to the NBA], you know, it sounds better and better, but getting your space now in the NBA… Own your spot.”
The 21-year-old Sengun said he’d eventually want to carve out his own identity.
“Of course, when he’s got to retire or something, I do not want people [to] call me ‘Baby Jokic.’ Right now, it’s fine. I’m like a baby. But when I grow up, I don’t want to hear that.”
