Rockets' Alperen Sengun: Likely out for regular season

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Tuesday that Sengun (ankle) has been diagnosed with a Grade 3 right ankle sprain, as well as a bone bruise in his right knee, and will likely miss the remainder of the regular season.

Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday that Sengun would need to show significant healing to have a realistic shot at playing again this season, so Charania's update isn't surprising. With Houston falling behind in the race for the 10th seed, the promising young center probably won't push to return over the final weeks, especially considering he's up for a max extension this offseason. Sengun was playing the best basketball of his 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 his absence, Jock Landale would seem to be the top candidate to join the starting five if the Rockets want a traditional center, though it's possible Jabari Smith and Jeff Green could see plenty of playing time as small-ball options at the five.