Rockets' Alperen Sengun: Avoids major injury, will miss time

Sengun was diagnosed Monday with a severe right ankle sprain and a bone bruise in his right knee after exiting Sunday's 112-104 win over the Kings and undergoing X-rays and an MRI, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

Wojnarowski notes that Sengun will miss extended time, and while he hasn't been ruled out for the rest of the regular season, the center would need to show significant healing to have a realistic shot at playing in the Rockets' April 14 finale against the Clippers. Though the injury likely makes it tough for fantasy managers in redraft leagues to justify holding Sengun, the diagnosis comes as a welcome development for the Rockets, who may have feared that the center's absence would extend into the 2024-25 season after he needed to be carted off the floor Sunday in a wheelchair. The big man was playing the best basketball of his young career before suffering the injury, averaging 27.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.8 blocks in 36.0 minutes over his previous four appearances. In Sengun's absence, Jock Landale would seem to be the top candidate to ascend to the starting five if the Rockets want a traditional center on the top unit, though it's possible that Jabari Smith and Jeff Green could see plenty of run as small-ball options at the five.