The Houston Rockets have a ton of young talent on their roster. From their up-and-coming star shooting guard Jalen Green to their exciting draftees from this past 2023 NBA draft, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, the Rockets’ young core is one to be excited about indeed.
With their veteran player additions this free agency in Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Jock Landale, along with their new incoming head coach Ime Udoka, the Rockets are gearing up to take a big step forward in their rebuild this upcoming season.
With respect to all the other young talent they have, the biggest catalyst in their improvement for the 2023-2024 season could very well be their young rising star at the center spot, Alperen Sengun.
Sengun has shown many exciting flashes throughout his first two seasons with the Rockets. At just 21 years old, he has already displayed a lot of potential as a rebounder, passer, and post-up player. Now entering his third season, Sengun is set on continuing to improve and show the league how valuable of a player he can be.
Alperen Sengun Is Poised to Have a Stellar Season
Sengun’s Offensive Repertoire
At 6 ’11, Sengun possesses a lot of offensive skills that are only more amplified by his size. Despite not being the most athletic player on the floor at times, Sengun’s footwork, sudden quickness, and IQ make him a strong offensive player.
Sengun works really well in the post with his back to the basket. He has a variety of post-up moves, which combined with his soft touch, allow him to often create scoring opportunities at an efficient rate near the rim. He also has shown the ability to take the ball in transition and drive all the way to the rim, which is always a unique ability for a big man. Sengun excels in the pick-and-roll by being able to finish well at the rim, but also pop out of a screen and go to work near the free-throw line or further out from the perimeter.
Perhaps Sengun’s most notable offensive skill at his size is his exceptional passing ability. It is not a stretch to say that he is very reminiscent of Nikola Jokic with his ability to find open teammates at the center position. Sengun does an incredible job at dishing the ball to backdoor cutters from the post for easy layups or dunks. He also has shown the ability to drive down the lane and collapse defenses in order to find open shooters from three. Sengun arguably is already a top 5 passing big man in the league, even at his young age.
Last season, Sengun averaged 14.8 points and 3.9 assists on 60% true shooting in just 29 minutes per game. With a larger role this upcoming season, he will likely continue to grow as an offensive machine for this Rockets team.
Areas With Room for Improvement
While Alperen Sengun already has an overall polished game, there are a couple of areas he needs to improve.
One area where Sengun could largely benefit from improving is increasing his three-point shooting. Last season, he shot 33% from three on just 0.8 attempts per game. Sengun has usually shied away from the three-point line. He focuses more on creating scoring opportunities within 15-20 feet from the basket. However, expanding his three-point shooting volume could help him make a huge leap in his offense.
In a recent podcast on The Bradeaux & Will Show, Sengun spoke on this part of his game.
“I want to take more shots from three, that’s my goal” Sengun mentioned on the show.
By increasing his three-point shot attempts, Sengun could create more spacing for the Rockets and add a huge element to his already impressive offensive style of play.
Sengun could also look to improve his defensive ability. Last season, Sengun had a defensive box plus/minus of 0.4 and 1.8 defensive win shares. While he’s not a bad defender, Sengun has struggled at times defending around screens and in switching situations.
“I want to play much better defense. I don’t think my defense is that bad but I did struggle in the pick and roll defense last year,” Sengun said on the podcast as well.
The good thing is that Sengun is aware of these flaws. He is looking to improve on them this upcoming season. If Sengun can do just that, his game will take a huge step forward. A step that possibly makes him one of the best centers in the league soon.
Fit on This Current Rockets Team
With the roster that the Rockets have constructed, Sengun’s style of play and skillset fit fairly seamlessly.
With the additions of VanVleet and Amen Thompson, Sengun can now find himself in a lot more effective pick-and-roll opportunities. Both VanVleet and Thompson are capable of finding Sengun in the post. Furtheremore, they work off the ball to allow Sengun to utilize his passing ability.
In terms of his pairing with Jabari Smith Jr., the two could very well become one of the better frontcourt duos in the league. Smith blossomed in this past summer league and has displayed the ability to stretch the floor from three. Between Sengun and Smith, the two could utilize a lot of high-low action. Furthermore, they can work off screens for each other, creating mismatches for opposing defenses.
As for Sengun’s defense, the additions of Dillon Brooks and Ime Udoka could provide a boost in that area of his game. Brooks was named to the All-Defensive Second Team last season and could defend multiple positions on the court. He could make life easier on that side of the ball. Additionally, Brooks allows Sengun more room to develop as a result of it. Udoka is renowned for his defensive focus and ability to get players to buy into that part of the game. This could largely carry over to Sengun. Sengun can learn ways to be just as effective on defense as he is on offense.
I look forward to seeing Alperen Sengun’s progress this season. His ability and swagger on the floor will make him a really fun player to watch for all fans. If Sengun can improve on those few flaws in his game, he could have an exceptional upcoming season in Houston.
