The Houston Rockets would’ve called it quits this season when they lost Alperen Sengun to injury a few weeks ago. But, fast forward to today, they’re fighting for a play-in spot in the Western Conference after winning 11 of their last 12 games.
Because of how good the Houston Rockets have been lately without their starting center , Paul Pierce said during the latest edition of the All The Smoke podcast that the Houston Rockets should consider trading Alperen Sengun in exchange for a key veteran.
“Man, the Houston Rockets were on a 10-game winning streak. Right on Golden State’s ass. What do y’all think about that? They’ve been rolling without Sengun, 10-game winning streak,” said Pierce. “And I know he is a productive player, but I’m like, shoot, you could flip him for another veteran that can get y’all some valuable experience next year.”
Paul Pierce is not the only person who has made this proposal, as Bill Simmons suggested last week on his podcast.
“Do you think we should make Jabari a 5? Do you think we should shop Sengun this summer? I think we would at least say yes, well let’s at least talk this out. Let’s do the pros and cons of this whole thing because maybe this is the team you should be,” said Simmons.
Alperen Sengun might return this season
With Sengun sidelined, the Houston Rockets have noticeably played faster because they’ve played small-ball more. However, the Turkish center is too good for the team to say they’re better off without him.
Before injuring his leg against the Sacramento Kings, Alperen Sengun was enjoying a superb campaign for the Houston Rockets, averaging career-highs of 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 53.7 percent shooting from the field.
According to Tim MacMahon on The Hoop Collective podcast, Alperen Sengun could be back before the end of the regular season, which is great news for the Houston Rockets.
“I was told there’s a very real chance that it could come down to, late in the regular season, ‘Hey, does it make sense to bring him back?’ Obviously, the number one thing is going to be, ‘Is he cleared, medically?’” said MacMahon.
“They’re not going to bring him back if they’re not playing for something, but they’re putting themselves in a position to be playing for something,” he added.
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