Imaging on Alperen Sengun’s low back showed a mild strain, and Ime Udoka said it could keep him out a few games. The news lands with real weight for The Rockets, who may now have to lean on a different center rotation beginning Wednesday.
Sengun had already played through the issue on Monday night, when he felt something in his back early in a 120-110 win over the Hawks and stayed on the floor for 37 minutes. He finished with 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting, nine rebounds, nine assists and a career-high six steals, then said afterward that his body felt great.
That is what makes the update jarring. On the floor, he looked like one of the league’s most complete early-season players, and his numbers back that up: 24.5 points per game on 58% shooting through the Rockets’ first four games. But the discomfort only grew after the game, and the imaging changed the story from a player powering through to one whose back now has to be managed carefully.
The timing matters because The Rockets are already short in the middle. Steven Adams will miss at least another week with a right soleus strain, leaving the team without both of its top centers for at least part of the schedule. Clint Capela is likely to start at center Wednesday, while Jabari Smith has been used in small-ball lineups and Oscar Tshiebwe remains on a two-way contract without yet appearing this season.
Udoka said the team will be cautious, and that is the practical answer for now. Sengun’s return date is not set, the replacement plan is temporary, and the next few games will show how long The Rockets can absorb the loss of a player who has driven so much of their early offense. For now, the cleanest read is that the back issue has turned a hot start into a roster problem.
