Why Alperen Sengun Playing Behind Kevin Durant Will Help His Career

There's no debate that Kevin Durant immediately became the No. 1 scoring option once he was traded to the Houston Rockets. Everywhere he's been, Durant is the team's top scorer and hasn't failed to contribute in that department at an all-time level. Things should be no different with the Rockets.

The 36-year-old, one of the game's greatest bucket-getters, is still elite. He averaged 26.6 points per game on 53-43-84 shooting splits last season, and although the Phoenix Suns missed the playoffs, they suffered with a 3-17 record when he wasn't on the floor.

The Rockets have been a team desperate for offense. Jalen Green, the team's leading scorer last season, was largely inefficient, and Houston's lack of scoring hurt them in the playoffs. Durant adds a new dimension to the offense, taking the load off the young core.

In reality, although Alperen Sengun averaged just 19.1 points per game last season, he could be argued as the Rockets' best scorer. He was way more efficient with 50-23-69 shooting splits. The three-point percentage should be ignored, as he only attempted 1.2 per game. Green had 42-35-81 shooting splits.

Now, Sengun will once again be the team's No. 2 scorer, but this time, behind Durant, there's more of a gap. One would expect his production to dip because of it, but this could bring major benefits to his career.

In the playoffs, the Golden State Warriors focused their defensive attack on Green. His numbers took a terrible dip because of it, but Sengun looked better in some cases. There were a few hiccups, but for his first playoff series, the Turkish center impressed.

Now, with Durant taking even more of the scoring attention in big moments, Sengun could end up looking more comfortable with the right matchups. At the very least, he can still rebound and distribute at a high level if the scoring doesn't show.

More importantly, Houston has its best shot at a title in years. If the team can muster up deep postseason runs or even a championship, Sengun will be considered one of Houston's all-time greats and one of the best No. 2 options in recent memory.

He appears to be a perfect sidekick for Durant, with his ability to do it all on offense. The Rockets practically have two point guards with him and Fred VanVleet on the floor. If Houston reaches its ceiling, Durant and Sengun will go down as an elite one-two punch with a ring to back it up.