The NBA is in good hands when it comes to the center position. There are some very talented players in the league playing in the middle for teams, with one of the most impressive young ones being Alperen Sengun of the Houston Rockets.
Sengun, the No. 16 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, has really come into his own in Year 3 of his career. An argument can be made that he is the best young piece the Rockets now have, as he has developed faster than some of their other developmental players.
This week has been full of career games for Sengun, who has dominated in matchups against the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers. Against San Antonio, he scored a career-high 45 points to go along with 16 rebounds, three assists and five steals in a 114-101 victory.
He became only the fifth player in NBA history to record 45+ points, 15+ rebounds and 5+ steals in the same game. But, he is the youngest player to reach those numbers. On the second night of a back-to-back against the Clippers, he made more history.
Sengun recorded his second triple-double of the season, scoring 23 points with 19 rebounds and 14 assists. He added two more steals for good measure, but it wasn’t enough to get the Rockets a win as they lost 122-116.
But, it was enough for Sengun to make NBA history again. According to StatMuse on X, he is the first center to reach those numbers in the same game, as the 14 assists were also a career-high for the talented big man.
There have been some people calling Sengun Nikola Jokic-lite and they could be onto something. He has a similar role in the Rockets’ game plan as the focal point of their game plan, a hub offensively that can initiate for his teammates as a playmaker or be a go-to scorer.
The Rockets are certainly hopeful that Sengun can continue on the same path as Jokic, as he is one of the most successful players in the NBA and leads a title contender in the Denver Nuggets. An MVP-level player, Houston would be ecstatic getting that kind of production out of their young center down the road.
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