The Houston Rockets have gained 9 straight video games to leap again into the playoff image. They usually might get an enormous enhance earlier than the season ends.
On “The Hoop Collective With Brian Windhorst,” ESPN’s Tim McMahon mentioned there’s “a really actual likelihood” that injured heart Alperen Sengun might come again on the finish of the common season. Sengun suffered a extreme ankle sprain and a bone bruise two weeks in the past that compelled him to go away Houston’s recreation with the Sacramento Kings in a wheelchair. It appeared to many, together with his staff, like Sengun’s unbelievable season was over.
However then Houston stored profitable. The sport during which Sengun went down was the second within the Rockets’ present nine-game win streak. Now they’re inside one half-game of the Golden State Warriors for tenth place. Not solely are the Rockets profitable, they’re doing so emphatically with a median margin of victory of 15 factors.
Now, Sengun is shifting round, and in response to his coach, Ime Udoka, principally doing “therapy and rehab.”
With three weeks till the play-in match, it is seemingly Udoka can be fielding extra questions concerning the standing of his playmaking huge man. Houston might use his 21.1 factors, 9.3 rebounds and 5 assists, until they’re fearful about disrupting the staff’s sizzling streak.
Rookie Amen Thompson has been nice as a small-ball heart in Sengun’s absence, averaging 15.7 factors and 9.3 rebounds in his final six video games, and taking pictures 62 %.
Even in restricted minutes, Sengun could possibly be an enormous enhance, particularly if the Rockets confronted a matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers and their super-sized frontcourt of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. For a Rockets staff that hasn’t wanted a lot assist to dominate just lately, a returning Sengun might assist put them excessive towards an skilled postseason foe.
