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.