Rockets' Alperen Sengun Draws Criticism for Complaining

It’s always stated that the NBA is in a great place. There’s a great balance of aging stars who are still highly productive, like Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, along with younger star players like Rockets center Alperen Sengun.

Then you have the Luka Doncic’s of the world, who are clearly proven but aren’t quite “old” yet, although he’s already been in the league for eight years.

Each of the aforementioned players have one negative thing in common: they can be vocal about officiating.

James’ whining about the whistle once infamously drew the ire of Rockets coach Ime Udoka. The two got into a verbal dust-up, which led to an ejection for Udoka in his first season with the Rockets.

The short and skinny of it is that superstars are used to getting superstar calls.

When they don’t, they don’t like it. James Harden used to do it quite extensively during his time with the Rockets (and since leaving Houston).

Again, it’s become commonplace.

But it is also a bit of an eye sore. Doncic takes it to new levels, however.

He’s traditionally not gotten back on defense, simply because he’ll voice his displeasure with the officiating crew.

However, Sengun drew The Ringer’s award for the “Biggest Bellyacher”. The writer, Tyler Parker, explained his calculus:

“I’ve long felt that, so long as he’s playing, Luka Doncic would lead the league in begs for calls. But after watching the first quarter of this season, Alperen Sengun may have something to say about that. Because he is going to complain, always, about everything. 

The carping is continuous and exhausting. Sengun is an amazing offensive player, one of the most skilled bigs in the league, a perennial All-Star candidate with All-NBA potential. It should be a joy to watch him, but the begging does not stop. Like Doncic, Sengun has way too much game to be doing all this grumping. It’s unbecoming of someone with his talent and probably hurts him with officials in the long run. A player who’s constantly exasperated, constantly aggrieved, constantly *waves arms wildly*, no matter how dynamic they are on offense, winds up wearing down the viewer. Apologies to Dillon Brooks and Chris Finch, who also deserve mentions here.”

It’s hard to counter Parker’s assessment here. But it does still seem like this award would be more fitting for Doncic.

The Rockets next take on the LA Clippers on Thursday, Dec. 11.