Rockets' most pressing problem this season might come from Alperen Sengun

The Houston Rockets, unabashedly, are looking to compete this season, and, in order to do so, they will need to lean directly on center Alperen Sengun to provide offense and work off of the gravity of offseason acquisition Kevin Durant.

Yet, according to Ben DuBose on the most recent episode of The Lager Line podcast, Sengun's international exploits this offseason could affect his physical condition as the NBA season wears on, leaving it up to Durant to take over the offense fully if Sengun needs a period of rest around mid-season.

While having a player like Durant on the roster certainly allows you some flexibility to rest your other stars given his long-term reliability as a shooter and scorer, any team in the Western Conference cannot afford a lengthy period of down-time if they want to compete, and Sengun's energy, if it does not stay consistent, could constitute a serious issue for the Rockets this season.

Alperen Sengun could hit a wall around Christmas as a result of his EuroBasket dominance

This summer, one of the most exciting storylines surrounding Houston didn't even involve the NBA. Sengun's dominance in the EuroBasket tournament, in which he led his native Turkiye to a historic second-place finish, was at the forefront of the headlines.

Through nine games in the tournament, Sengun averaged 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists, matching up against star international centers such as Nikola Jokic and putting his national team on his back in the process.

Yet, according to DuBose, no matter what Sengun's physical condition is, this sort of a stretch of athletic dominance could take a toll during the regular season: "I could see it actually being around the holidays that Sengun might hit a little bit of a wall because, as good as his conditioning is, to go through what he did this offseason... that's a lot to expect of anyone that plays 80-plus games."

DuBose, in fairness, goes on to point out that Durant, who will be acclimating himself to the team this season, should be ready to take on his full form around that same time. Yet, Sengun, as the established franchise player, will need to take on a heavier offensive load this season in order for the Rockets to compete.

If Sengun does indeed hit a wall in December or January, the team will then need to lean fully into Durant: a proposition that is not necessarily highly risky but does contain an implicit gamble. Can Durant be trusted to be the singular offensive hub for the team? Can another player, such as Jabari Smith Jr. or Amen Thompson, step up when called upon?

In an absolutely loaded Western Conference, Houston cannot afford very many down stretches if they want to earn a high seed yet again. However, Sengun will likely need the rest, and one of the Rocket's biggest question marks this season lies in whether they will have the luxury of giving it to him.