Could Alperen Sengun Return to Houston Rockets? Injury Update

As the Houston Rockets ride a win streak, Alperen Sengun might come back sooner than expected.

Mar 10, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) reacts during / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

When Alperen Sengun went down with an ankle sprain during the Houston Rockets game against the Sacramento Kings, fans everywhere expected Houston to wave the white flag and give up on the season. They were the distant 11th seed behind the Golden State Warriors and now had their best player out, seemingly for the season.

Since then, Houston has not lost and is riding a nine-game win streak en route to a winning record and is only a game behind the Warriors for the final spot in the Play-In Tournament. The Rockets have very real reason to keep playing, and with an April 4 meeting with Golden State to perhaps determine the final spot in the postseason, the Rockets are itching to prove that they belong.

Mar 6, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) drives with the ball as / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

With all hands-on deck, the Rockets might be getting Sengun back sooner than initially thought. Tim MacMahon took to the Brian Windhorst and the Hoop Collective podcast to suggest that Sengun might be slated for an early return.

"It's within the realm of possibility that Sengun could return during the regular season," McMahon said. "When he got hurt, and obviously avoided a major injury but still it's a significant sprain, we kind of assumed he'd be done for the season since they weren't going to have anything to play for. I was told there's a very real chance ... they're not going to bring him back if they're not playing for something, but they're putting themselves in a position where they have a chance to play for something."