Rockets' Alperen Sengun Predicted to Take Leap This Season

Houston Rockets standout center Alperen Sengun has been described as a modern-day Magic Johnson by Philadelphia 76ers wing Paul George on his signature Podcast P with Paul George platform. 

Talk about high praise.

Sengun has more commonly been compared to Denver Nuggets MVP Nikola Jokic and Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis. 

The three comparisons have all hinged around Sengun's ability to create scoring opportunities for his teammates, although he's more than capable of putting the ball in the hole by himself.

The 23-year-old had considerable scoring improvements in each of his first three seasons, averaging 9.6 points as a rookie, 14.8 points as a sophomore, and 21.1 points in his third season. Year four saw Sengun take a slight decrease as a scorer, averaging 19.1 points, although he took less shots than in 2023-24. 

According to Fadeaway World's Eddie Bitar, Sengun will take a leap in 2025-26. 

"Alperen Sengun has blossomed into Houston’s offensive hub in the post, using his footwork and passing to punish defenses. Averaging nearly 20 and 10, he’s drawn comparisons to Jokic for his creativity with the ball. 

While his defense remains a question mark and he needs a few more years to learn what move is best depending on the defensive situation, Sengun’s offensive brilliance makes him the centerpiece of the Rockets’ paint. With Kevin Durant by his side, Sengun could take another leap in 2025-26."

Sengun's defense has significantly improved. Certainly more than the writer gives him credit for here. In fact, Sengun ranked fifth in defensive win shares last season and tied for third in defensive rating.

To be fair, these aren't exactly flawless defensive metrics. 

But Sengun has been a much better defender over the last several years. Certainly last season.

Sengun would be more lethal as a scorer if he became a formidable long-range shot. The Turkish center averaged 23.3 percent from deep in 2024-25, albeit on low volume (1.2 attempts).

Sengun isn't going to morph into a sniper, but he'd put pressure on opposing defenses if there was a threat of him making them pay from behind the arc.

For example, the Rockets center made just 26.8 percent of his 3-point attempts when considered wide open (when the closest defender was more than six feet away).

By comparison, Jokic made 46.8 percent from deep when considered open, while Domantas Sabonis made 43.1 percent of his open treys.

The addition of Kevin Durant could very well cause Sengun to thrive offensively, as Durant will draw the double teams that Sengun saw in 2024-25.