The Ringer Cites Rockets Alperen Sengun as MVP Candidate

It's no secret that the Houston Rockets like to employ the double-big lineup. Rockets coach Ime Udoka had success with it last season and decided to run it back again.

If it ain't broke, don't break it, right? Or if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Whichever you like better.

This version of the jumbo lineup is much different. For starters, the Rockets don't have a playmaking point guard in the lineup. 

Also, Jabari Smith Jr. is starting at the small forward spot, alongside Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams. To that point, Sengun is essentially the key to the lineup.

He's one of the better passing big men in the league, hence the comparisons to Nikola Jokic. He's far from Jokic, but one can understand why he'd draw the comparison.

Sengun has the court vision and basketball IQ to find the open man rolling or cutting to the basket. He's also been the Rockets' primary playmaker this season, which was assumed when Fred VanVleet went down for the season.

Somewhat.

Udoka stated that Houston would rely on a combination of players to fill that void, including Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, and Sengun.

But it's mainly been Sengun. Especially in the halfcourt. 

The Rockets' star center has drawn the attention of The Ringer's Michael Pina, who cited him as an MVP candidate (although it's early in the season).

"Sengun is its best player, and he spends an inordinate amount of time at point guard, leading the Rockets in touches and dramatically increasing his volume and accuracy from behind the 3-point line. Meanwhile, he’s a key cog in an elite defense, which Sengun already spent last season proving he can be.

Sengun should be able to run pick-and-rolls, operate from the mid-post, and leverage his back-to-the-basket power against defenses that aren’t super pumped to double him while Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, and Reed Sheppard are on the floor."

Pina noted Sengun's struggles against the Detroit Pistons in Houston's second game.

"A majority of his drives went nowhere, and, despite finishing with seven assists, Sengun forced too much of the action in desperate attempts to draw fouls that weren’t being called. If he can find a sweet spot in between that disaster and his masterpiece against OKC while leading Houston in usage rate and buoying a decent half-court offense, Sengun may actually hear his name pop up in debates about this season's MVP."

In Houston's third game against the Brooklyn Nets, Sengun tallied 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 2-for-2 from outside, 5-of-5 from the foul line, six rebounds, and six assists.

Sengun constantly found the open man behind the 3-point line and was highly efficient, shooting 79.5 percent true shooting. 

If he keeps it up and it leads to Rockets victories, he could make a compelling case for MVP.