Houston Rockets Season Player Review: Alperen Sengun

When the Houston Rockets traded for the No. 17 pick in the 2021 draft, the Rockets knew exactly who they wanted to draft. The Rockets had been scouting Alperen Sengun for several months while he continued to dominate the Turkish league he was playing in at the time.

Even though scouts knew of Sengun for years, a lot of the NBA world didn't know as much about him as other players like Cade Cunningham and the Rockets' No. 2 pick, Jalen Green. Sengun had just won the MVP of the BSL's regular season, which solidified his place as one of the best international players in the draft and one of the best overall players in the 2021 NBA draft.

Like Jalen Green, Sengun had an up-and-down start to his career, mainly due to the inconsistent minutes he played throughout his first two seasons. Head coach Stephen Silas felt that Sengun needed more time in the NBA before he could take on a larger role, and he had Sengun splitting minutes with Bruno Fernando at times.

Also, just like Green, Sengun saw improvement in his overall game once Ime Udoka took over the team and brought in veteran leadership like Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet. In Sengun's third season, he improved across the board, averaging a career high in points, minutes, rebounds and assists.

Sengun played so well that he was being considered for an All-Star spot in 2024 before a combination of Rockets losses and an injury derailed his chance. Unfortunately, Sengun would suffer an injury against the Sacramento Kings at the beginning of March, ending his 2023-24 season.

Sengun came into the 2024-25 season fully healthy and ready to lead the Rockets to their first playoff appearance since 2020. He played a massive role in the Rockets' 52 wins and made his first All-Star appearance, as he was named a reserve by the NBA head coaches.

Sengun saw a drop in his points per game as he struggled at times with his touch around the basket. The drop in points was also a result of players like Dillon Brooks and Amen Thompson increasing their offensive output. Sengun also focused more on the defensive end, as he had the best season of his career on that end of the court.

Sengun also averaged a career-high in rebounds at 10.3 as he and Steven Adams started to play together more and more as the season went along, forming their version of the Twin Towers. The Rockets used that double-big lineup for the last four months of the season, and it helped them have their best rebounding season since the 1972-73 season.

Sengun had an up-and-down series like most Rockets in his first playoff match. However, even in the games where he struggled from the field, he still impacted the boards and the defensive end, as he was usually the second player involved in trapping Stephen Curry at the 3-point line.

Despite the loss in seven games to the Warriors, Sengun averaged 20.9 points per game and 11.9 rebounds per game in the Rockets' first-round loss. Sengun will look to build on his breakout season and help take the Rockets from up and coming to a championship-contending team.