Rockets Will Need Extra Help From One Big Man in the Absence of Alperen Sengun

The Houston Rockets, while currently a top-four seed in a crowded Western Conference, will continue their 2026 campaign without a major piece. Alperen Sengun, Houston's frontcourt star, is expected to miss multiple games due to an ankle sprain suffered in Saturday night's 110-104 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

The severity of the injury has not yet been reported, but even a Grade 1 sprain typically takes between one to two weeks to recover from. Sengun rolled his ankle going up for a rebound within the first minute of the game, but managed to walk off the floor to the bench without help.

This is the play where Alperen Sengun got hurt, rolling his right ankle when landing on a rebound attempt. https://t.co/vEohvYuD61 pic.twitter.com/VVxGTjqmQh
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) January 4, 2026

With the 23-year-old averaging 21.8 points, nine rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, this is a major blow to Houston's rotation. The Turkish All-Star has been a catalyst for the Rockets' hot offense, becoming a major playmaker in the absence of Fred VanVleet, their only true point guard.

What's more is that Houston's other prominent center, Steven Adams, is questionable for Monday's game against the Phoenix Suns with an ankle sprain of his own, suffered in a 126-119 win over the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 29.

Adams, the 32-year-old bruiser from New Zealand, has been the main reason why the Rockets are on pace to break the NBA's all-time record for rebounding percentage in a season.

He's averaging 8.4 boards per game, while Houston has an offensive rebounding percentage of 40.8%. No team in the play-by-play era (1996-97) has eclipsed 38%. With two of the Rockets' prominent frontcourt players potentially out, they'll need serious help from one player moving forward.

Clint Capela, who is logging just 11.6 minutes per game thus far, will be thrust into a bigger role with Sengun and Adams' statuses up in the air. In his second stint with the Rockets, he's averaging 3.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

The 31-year-old has played sparingly this season, but when he's in the game, he has the role of a traditional center. Capela has a similar job to Adams, grabbing rebounds and playing the screener in pick-and-roll situations. All of his points come in the paint off the catch.

The offense is expected to change with Sengun out, especially now that the Rockets' available centers are traditional.

This will not only put the focus on Capela's presence in the paint, but the increased roles of wing scorers such as Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard and Jabari Smith Jr. Kevin Durant will be relied on even more as well, being the team's leading scorer.