Alperen Sengun Sheds Minutes Restriction After Back Scare

The Houston Rockets are officially taking the training wheels off Alperen Sengun, which is terrible news for whoever has to guard him and fantastic news for anyone holding his player props.

According to Underdog NBA, head coach Ime Udoka confirmed that Sengun will not face a minutes limit on Saturday. The star center had been dealing with a mild back strain that forced him to sit out Wednesday's blowout win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Lineup alert: Alperen Sengun (back) won't have a minutes limit Saturday, per coach Udoka.'"

Before his back tightened up, Sengun was putting up numbers that look like a glitch in a basketball simulation. He dropped 29 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, and six steals in 37 minutes against the Atlanta Hawks. Playing through a back strain to casually flirt with a quadruple-double is the kind of sicko behavior that wins fantasy leagues.

Houston desperately needs him operating at full capacity. The Rockets are already thin in the frontcourt with Steven Adams sidelined by a calf strain, leaving veteran Clint Capela to soak up emergency minutes. You do not want to be relying on emergency center minutes in the modern Western Conference.

For the betting crowd, a lifted minutes restriction means Sengun is fully cleared for takeoff. He is averaging 24.5 points on 58 percent shooting to start the year, making his statistical totals a very comfortable place to park your attention now that Udoka isn't watching the clock.

Sengun's return to a full workload comes right on time. After dropping a tight 116-111 game to the Dallas Mavericks, Houston has a brutal upcoming slate featuring the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics. If the Rockets want to survive that gauntlet, they need their franchise center playing until the final buzzer.