Alperen Sengun Was Taken Off The Floor In A Wheelchair After A Chasedown Block Attempt

The Houston Rockets have taken strides forward this season in their first year under new head coach Ime Udoka, improving from a 22-win team a year ago to already have 28 wins with a month to play. Along with a new staff and some veteran additions, a big reason for their improvement is the continued growth of third-year center Alperen Sengun.

Sengun is averaging 21.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game this season for Houston, taking on a much more central role in the offense. His leap as a scorer (and the Rockets running more of their offense through him) has created plenty of excitement for the future in Houston as they look to build more around Sengun going forward.

Unfortunately on Sunday evening, Sengun suffered an apparently serious left leg injury when he went to make a chasedown block attempt on Domantas Sabonis in the final minute of a Rockets win over the Kings. Sengun landed awkwardly after going up for the block and immediately grabbed at his leg in pain. He was tended to on the floor and eventually taken off the court in a wheelchair, clearly in tremendous pain.

The NBC Sports California broadcast showed some replays of the injury and you can see his right leg buckle upon landing and twist under him.

It’s been a breakout year for Sengun and he seems to be a core piece of the Rockets for years to come. We’ll have to wait official word on the severity of this injury as it certainly seems like it could cost him a significant amount of time in a highly unfortunate setback for both the Rockets and a budding star in the league.

Sengun will have an MRI on his ankle and knee on Tuesday to determine the severity of his injuries.