{"id":68324,"date":"2024-03-15T08:00:51","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T12:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=68324"},"modified":"2024-04-06T22:34:59","modified_gmt":"2024-04-07T02:34:59","slug":"rockets-ime-udoka-heaps-praise-gifted-alperen-sengun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/15\/rockets-ime-udoka-heaps-praise-gifted-alperen-sengun\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockets Head Coach Heaps Praise on Gifted Youngster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You can almost picture Houston Rockets center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sengual01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alperen Sengun<\/a> traveling from city to city, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/07\/rockets-alperen-sengun-drops-never-before-seen-statline\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">performing impossible tasks<\/a> in front of thousands as he gathered followers. An ethereal display of gifts that leaves crowds transfixed, his supporters heaping praise, and his father basking in the glory of his son\u2019s saltation.<\/p>\n<p>Sengun is quite possibly a generational talent. Only 21 years old, he leads the Rocket Men in points (1,331), rebounds (589), and steals (76). He\u2019s only behind veteran floor general <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vanvlfr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fred VanVleet<\/a> in assists (312) and blocks (46). On a trajectory that matches contemporaries such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jokicni01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Jokic<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sabondo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Domantas Sabonis<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/randlju01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Julius Randle<\/a>, multiple All-Star selections appear to be in his future.<\/p>\n<h2>Ime Udoka Heaps Praise on Alperen Sengun<\/h2>\n<p>His head coach, Ime Udoka, believes he hasn\u2019t even scratched the surface of his potential.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s not even close to reaching his ceiling and he still has a ways to go, but he&#8217;s had a great year,&#8221; Udoka said before his team took on the Washington Wizards on Thursday night.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Being that it&#8217;s likely over, Ime Udoka was asked about Alperen Sengun&#8217;s season as a whole. &#8220;He&#8217;s not even close to reaching his ceiling and he still has a ways to go, but he&#8217;s had a great year,&#8221; said Udoka. &#8220;His future is bright, basically. All the things that we really\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kUa8DaKJhU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/kUa8DaKJhU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ClutchFans (@clutchfans) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/clutchfans\/status\/1768409613160915077?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 14, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;His future is bright, basically. All the things that we really challenged him with, he kind of stepped up to the plate there and improved in certain areas.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>He Knows What Greatness Is<\/h3>\n<p>A former defensive standout who played for multiple teams in his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/u\/udokaim01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">seven-year NBA career<\/a>, Udoka has been teammates with multiple big men who went on to the Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n<p>In 2003-04, Udoka\u2019s rookie season, he was teammates with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/o\/onealsh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shaquille O\u2019Neal<\/a>. O\u2019Neal, then with the Los Angeles Lakers, was at the height of his powers. A colossal center with a ballerina\u2019s feet, O\u2019Neal\u2019s only weakness was scoring outside the paint.<\/p>\n<p>In 2006-07, Udoka was teammates with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/randoza01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zach Randolph<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/aldrila01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LaMarcus Aldridge<\/a>, both with the Portland Trail Blazers.<\/p>\n<p>Now, neither Randolph nor Aldridge are in the Hall of Fame. However, Randolph was a 3-time All-Star whom Udoka played beside while the former was in his prime, leading the Blazers with a career-high 23.6 points per game. Aldridge, then a rookie whom Portland selected second overall, may earn the induction as a seven-time All-Star.<\/p>\n<p>Though more than capable of scoring down low, Randolph and Aldridge did what O\u2019Neal could not do, spacing the floor with jumpers out to 3-point range.<\/p>\n<p>Playing for the San Antonio Spurs in three of the next four seasons, Udoka would then spend time with the best player to be named, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duncati01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tim Duncan<\/a>. A two-time MVP, five-time NBA champion, and 15-time All-Star, Duncan is a bit more than a Hall of Famer. Many consider the keystone of the Spurs\u2019 last dynasty to be the greatest power forward of all-time.<\/p>\n<p>So fundamentally sound he earned the moniker \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/1670561-how-tim-ducan-got-and-earned-his-nickname-the-big-fundamental\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Big Fundamental<\/a>,\u201d Duncan was a three-level scorer but also adept as a playmaker. Defensively, Duncan overcame his lack of explosiveness with the same dedication to technique and attention to detail that allowed him to dominate at the other end.<\/p>\n<p>Udoka knows exactly what greatness looks like.<\/p>\n<h3>Will \u2018Alpi\u2019 Return This Season?<\/h3>\n<p>Sengun may be out for <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/11\/rockets-alperen-sengun-crucial-update-leg-injury\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">the remainder of the regular season<\/a> after sustaining a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/stadium\/status\/1767647981820330085?s=46&amp;t=wi4lwy44ptAPzCOfNGn4lw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Grade 3 ankle sprain<\/a>. However, a Cinderella run in the 2024 NBA Playoffs could give Sengun enough of runway for a return flight.<\/p>\n<p>If so, the Rockets can get their most reliable scorer back. While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/greenja05.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Green<\/a> has been on a hot streak, Sengun is both more consistent and versatile. Scoring from the block to the arc, even against tight defense, Sengun\u2019s dominance starts here.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ll get their most creative passer back. VanVleet\u2019s basketball IQ and experience lend to his ability to be a facilitator. However, Sengun is imaginative, making passes out of the post and setting up shooters with dribble handoffs.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ll also get their best \u2018tall guy\u2019 back. Sengun is clearing boards and turning away shots at a higher rate than even 2022 No. 3 pick <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/smithja05.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jabari Smith Jr.<\/a>, who stands at 6-foot-11 and has a 7-foot-1 wingspan.<\/p>\n<p>Invariably their most important player, the Rockets undoubtedly are holding out hope that \u201cAlpi\u201d has another miracle up his sleep.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You can almost picture Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun traveling from city to city, performing impossible tasks in front of thousands as he gathered followers. An ethereal display of gifts that leaves crowds transfixed, his supporters heaping praise, and his father basking in the glory of his son\u2019s saltation. Sengun is quite possibly a generational [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":68331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,1608,62,3],"tags":[4293,3821,596,261,56],"class_list":["post-68324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rockets","category-basketball","category-nba","category-news","tag-alperen-sengun","tag-ime-udoka","tag-nba-playoffs","tag-shaquille-oneal","tag-tim-duncan"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}