The Houston Rockets have locked up their second postseason berth in as many seasons. They were able to pull off the feat on Thursday. The Phoenix Suns’ loss to the Charlotte Hornets sealed the deal for the Rockets.
As of this writing, Houston ranks fifth in the Western Conference, with a 48-29 record. Houston are seemingly locked in at the fifth spot, as they are 1.5 games back from the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets and two games ahead of the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.
Sengun’s Injury Concerns
With their seeding essentially set, the Rockets should consider giving two-time All-Star center Alperen Sengun some rest. He’s been banged up throughout the season, which has limited his play and hindered his effectiveness in stretches. He’s clearly been playing with a back injury of late.
Earlier in the season, he missed time with an ankle injury, which he arguably rushed back from. He re-aggravated a pre-existing injury during the Rockets’ recent 119-113 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Missed Opportunity Against the Jazz
The Rockets already missed a golden opportunity to rest Sengun during their 140-106 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night. They would’ve easily won that game without the Turkish center. The game was over after the first quarter, when the Rockets held a 34-22 lead. Although the Rockets have blown sizable leads all season.
The Rockets led 107-78 at the start of the fourth quarter. Yet Sengun was still in the game logging minutes. So not only did the Rockets not rest Sengun for the Jazz game, they didn’t even give him a lighter workload for the night. Which begs the question of whether Houston’s brass and brain trust will rest him before the playoffs.
Playoff Considerations
If he’s hurt, it would be wise for the Rockets to get him fully healthy before the postseason starts. However, the only non-contending team on the schedule through Houston’s last five games is the Memphis Grizzlies, which is Houston’s last game.
- The Rockets have already clinched a postseason berth.
- Alperen Sengun has been dealing with injuries.
- Houston’s seeding is essentially set.
Granted, Houston will have one week of rest between their last regular season game and the start of the playoffs, due to the play-in tournament. Perhaps they’ll utilize that time to give Sengun rest. Regardless, their goal should be trying to get Sengun as healthy as fully possible over the course of the next two weeks.