The Rockets Are Rallying Behind Alperen Sengun

Alperen Sengun can no longer be considered a rising star in the NBA. It's more appropriate to consider him among his fellow All-Star caliber players who are capable of leading a team. While he hasn't risen to the level of an MVP talent, he has proven he can be the best player on a team with a legitimate chance to make noise in the postseason.

Kevin Durant's addition makes the Houston Rockets legitimate contenders in the Western Conference, but even the hall-of-famer has taken a step back to allow Sengun to shine in the offense.

Sengun's elite offensive play this year has been an integral part of Houston's early success this season. His isolation scoring and touch has returned to an elite level, but with the addition of handle and decision-making that makes him dangerous on the perimeter as well as in the post.

His passing has stayed top tier, but the improvement of his teammates' shooting has increased his assists to a career-high rate. Durant, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., and Reed Sheppard have knocked down shots at a league-leading rate, helping Sengun rack up the assists at a high level.

Sengun has contributed to the league's top shooting percentage as well, hitting a career-high rate from beyond the arc.

With the drastic improvement in his game, as well as the increase in offense talent around him, Sengun is primed for another All-Star caliber season. If he continues his play, and the Rockets continue this rate of winning, Sengun may even be able to crack the top 10-15 players in MVP voting by the end of the season.

A lot has to go right for Sengun to be in consideration for the league's top accolades.

The Rockets must stay healthy, but they've already dealt with some injuries to Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith, not to mention Fred VanVleet who hasn't seen the court a single time this season and likely won't for the foreseeable future.

Houston must also continue hitting shots at a high rate. Whether the three-point shot is falling or not, the team has enough shooting in the mid-range and at the rim to keep the field goal percentage high and help Sengun continue adding assists to his total.

The Rockets must also continue improving their defensive effort to ensure the team can compete against other top teams in high-profile matchups. Stars' performances in big, national games are considered when determining end of the year awards.

Sengun may just be in contention for these awards if the Rockets can continue to be in contention throughout the season. Houston is recognizing that the best way to stay in contention is to lean on the talents of their talented big man.