The Houston Rockets (41-25) started the NBA’s 2025-26 season with a 13-4 record in October and November, but have since gone just 28-21.
For context, an initial .765 winning percentage led to a winning pace of approximately 63-19 throughout the 82-game regular season. The post-December clip of .571 extrapolates to 47-35.
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Many aspects of Houston’s game have changed as the season has progressed, but one thing that cannot be denied is the return of All-Star center Alperon Sengun.
Over his last 30 games, the Rockets’ net defensive rating dropped by 16.1 points when Sengun was on the floor. Without Sengun, Houston’s defensive rating during that window was 99.5, which would be the best defensive rating in the NBA so far this season.
By comparison, from the start of the 2025-26 season through early January, Houston’s net defensive rating was just 3.2 points worse with Sengun on the floor.
So while Sengon has never been a great defensive player, his defense has gone from passable to terrible in recent weeks — a formula that will be difficult to win for Houston as it attempts to make a championship push. (To make matters even more difficult now, veteran backup Steven Adams is out for the season due to injury.)
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With that in mind, it’s no surprise that The Athletic’s Will Guillory pointed to Houston’s Sengun in a story laying out each team’s top priorities for the final month of the regular season.
Guillory’s opening remarks were about “getting Alperen Sengun back on track”, explaining:
The Rockets have been one of the most frustrating teams in the Western Conference over the past few months due to a lackluster and inconsistent offense. One of their major flaws is their All-Star center Sengun’s failure to consistently perform at an All-Star level.
There were a few times when his numbers exploded, but most nights, he was an afterthought as Houston turned to 37-year-old Kevin Durant time and time again. If the Rockets have a chance to make a deep push, they’ll need both Durant and Sengung to be at All-NBA level. Any shortfall may result in early withdrawal.
From Guillory’s offensive perspective, Xiangon is shooting 39.2 percent from three (2.8 attempts per game) in 18 games through Dec. 1. Over the next 40 games, that number dropped to 17.0 percent, averaging 1.3 shots per game, with a lack of range hampering Houston’s offense at times.
Notably, Sengon missed time in early January with a sprained ankle, and he missed Houston’s most recent win (Friday against New Orleans) with lower back pain. So, it’s certainly possible that his struggles were physical.
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But whatever the root cause, the Rockets need to resolve it as soon as possible. Houston is currently fourth in the Western Conference standings and will face the third-seeded Lakers (42-25) on Monday and Wednesday at Toyota Center.
Win one of the two games and Houston will secure the tiebreaker. A win in both games would give the Rockets a clear lead in both the tiebreaker and the standings. Losing both games would give Los Angeles the tiebreaker and a bigger lead while likely knocking Houston out of the top four, opening the 2026 playoffs without home-court advantage in the first round.
It’s a big week for the Rockets, who need the best version of their All-Star center alongside Durant to counter the star power of a Lakers team led by LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Time will tell whether Songun will ring the bell.
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More: Rockets star Alperen Sengun receives injury report as slump continues
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets’ top priority: “Getting Alperen Sengun back on track”
