The Houston Rockets received good news on Monday regarding big man Alperen Shengun.
According to ESPN Adrian WojnarowskiShengun suffered a “severe ankle sprain and knee bone contusion” in Sunday's game against the Sacramento Kings, an injury that could have been made worse by having to leave the court in a wheelchair.
It remains to be seen what his recovery timeline will be, but with 18 games left and the Rockets 4.5 games away from the final spot in the play-in tournament, it's possible that Shengun's season is over.
Either way, avoiding knee ligament damage is great news and avoids a potentially much longer recovery schedule, one that could have extended into the 2024-25 season. The concern with serious knee injuries, especially for larger men, is that they can recur.
The 21-year-old center has been impressive in his third season in the NBA, 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 that Houston's rebuilding efforts are currently centered around Shengyun more than any other player on the team, including Jaylen Green.
Either way, he's a key piece of an exciting young core for the Rockets that also includes Armen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tali Eason. The team had won four of its past five games and appeared to have a final push toward the postseason, but Shengun's injury will likely end that dream.
Still, the Rockets have some quality young players, including Brooklyn's first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and strong draft capital going forward. Although the team isn't quite as far into a rebuild as the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston has plenty of reason to be optimistic.
