With the NBA’s 2022-23 regular season only a few days away, the Houston Rockets (2-1) wrap up their preseason schedule with Friday’s visit to Indiana (2-1). Prized rookie prospect Jabari Smith Jr. remains out with a left ankle sprain, but he has resumed basketball activities and appears on course to return to the starting lineup in time for the team’s regular-season opener on Oct. 19 in Atlanta.
Among those playing, perhaps the biggest storyline is the ongoing integration process of second-year center Alperen Sengun with Houston’s starters. The 20-year-old Turkish big man flourished in his preseason debut but struggled in Monday’s loss at Miami, with a lower usage rate alongside starters like Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. relative to when Sengun was the hub of bench units last season.
