Rockets fans, buckle up – as we hit January 5, 2026, Houston’s rollercoaster season just took another wild turn. The team sits at a strong 21-11 (fourth in the brutal West), boasting the league’s third-most efficient offense (121.2 points per 100 possessions) behind Kevin Durant’s scoring punch and young stars stepping up huge. But Saturday’s 110-104 loss in Dallas snapped a four-game win streak and brought fresh worry: All-Star center Alperen Şengün went down just 64 seconds in with a lateral right ankle sprain, rolling it awkwardly on Daniel Gafford’s foot while battling for a rebound.
Şengün clutched his ankle in pain, needed help off the court, and was ruled out by halftime – no return. With backup Steven Adams already sidelined (his own ankle issue), the Rockets were down to Clint Capela as the lone true big. They shifted to small-ball, leaned heavy on perimeter play, and dominated offensive rebounds (17-2 edge, 15-0 second-chance points), but half-court offense stalled bad – shooting a season-low 38.7% from the field. KD poured in a game-high 34 points (plus assists in a late push), Amen Thompson and Tari Eason delivered double-doubles, but it wasn’t enough against a Mavs team that controlled the paint.
Coach Ime Udoka postgame? Short and cautious: “No, not yet” on Şengün updates. The 23-year-old Turkish phenom – fresh off his first All-Star nod last year – is having a career season: Leading the team in points (~22 PPG), rebounds (~9), and assists (~6.5), anchoring everything inside. Losing him even short-term shrinks that margin for error big time, especially with injuries already piling up.
But here’s the silver lining dropping Sunday from Marc Stein: The Rockets aren’t fully ruling out a return this season for veteran PG Fred VanVleet, who tore his ACL in a preseason mini-camp back in the Bahamas. FVV’s been grinding rehab aggressively – even traveling with the team to Dallas recently – and sources say he’s pushing hard to at least make a late-season comeback possible. No guarantees, timelines cautious, but it’s not a hard “season-ending” anymore. Imagine VanVleet sliding back in for playoffs: His floor generalship, point-of-attack D (second only to Amen), and clutch decision-making would ease the load on young guards like Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson, cut down turnovers (Rockets rank near bottom without him), and add structure – especially huge if Şengün misses time.
KD kept it pro after the loss: Called it a tough adjustment losing your main big early, but praised the pros stepping up. “We hope he has a speedy recovery, but in the meantime, we have to hold it down for him.”
Big picture? Houston’s built a contender vibe without FVV all year – young core growing, KD dominating, elite efficiency. Şengün’s injury clouds the now (tests coming for severity), but VanVleet’s potential return lights up the future. If both get healthy late, this team could be scary come postseason.
Rockets Nation, how worried are you about Şengün? Optimistic on FVV sneaking back? Can the young guns keep carrying till then?