Alperen Şengün's Return Will Greatly Benefit a Struggling Rockets Offense

Şengün missed Houston's last two games with a back injury.

Mar 6, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) reacts playing against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

After a two-game absence, the Houston Rockets are getting some much-needed help in the front court with the return of Alperen Şengün. The Turkish center was dealing with back issues, but is not on the team's injury report for tonight's game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Şengün is averaging 20.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game this season. The All-Star big man is a major reason why a struggling offense has managed to stay afloat at 41-26. He hasn't had a particularly great season in terms of efficiency, but his stats show a relatively positive impact.

Regardless, Şengün should greatly benefit the Rockets upon his return, as Monday's loss to Los Angeles was simply ugly. Houston put up 12 points in the fourth quarter and four in the final six minutes. 22 turnovers were largely due to the Lakers' half-court pressure and the lack of someone other than Kevin Durant to initiate the offense.

As much as he has lacked on the defensive end this season, Şengün's offensive impact is still gargantuan for one that ranks 24th in efficiency rating this month. According to databallr, the Rockets post a 119.1 offensive rating when he's on the floor in medium and high-leverage possessions this year. When he's not out there, that number drops to 115.9.

Prior to his back issues, Şengün was struggling. In his last three games, he put up 13.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.3 turnovers a night on 51-0-44 shooting splits. Despite Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard stepping up in that stretch, Şengün's lack of play held Houston back.

After a two-game reset, the Rockets have high expectations in their most pivotal stretch of the season. With their season series with Los Angeles tied at one win apiece, they'll need to win tonight's matchup to clinch the tiebreaker should both teams finish with the same record.

Houston is also fighting for a top-three seed in the West. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs practically have the top two spots locked up with less than four weeks left in the regular season, so that leaves two more seeds for home-court advantage.

What's more is that the fourth and seventh seeds are separated by just three games. The Rockets, like many of the other playoff teams, are trying to avoid the Play-In Tournament. Like last season, the standings will likely go down to the wire.