Alperen Sengun surpasses Nikola Jokic for incredible record

In just his sophomore season, Sengun was second among all Rockets in assists with 3.9, and last year, he upped his numbers to 5.0 per game. This season, he already has two triple-doubles and another five games with at least five assists. His back-to-back triple-doubles last week were recorded with a plus-minus of 73, the best over a two-game span in history.

Furthermore, with six triple-doubles in his young career, Sengun is on pace to surpass Jokic for most such games by a center before age 23. 

In fairness to Jokic, he never truly got to showcase his passing ability until his third year in the NBA. As a rookie, the Nuggets assigned him to the Adriatic League in Europe, and as a sophomore, he started only 55 games. It wasn't until his fourth season that Nuggets coach Michael Malone put the ball in his hands and asked him to initiate plays. The result? Jokic led his team with 6.1 assists per game. Due to those early years, his career APG still stands at only 6.9. It will likely surpass nine within the next few years due to his dime-dropping in recent seasons. 

If not for Jokic's brilliance, the Rockets would likely not have gone the unconventional route of running an offense through a big man. That's what makes Jokic a trailblazer for modern-day bigs. Even legendary passing bigs like Bill Walton and Arvydas Sabonis did not initiate plays — they made passes out of the post in double teams but did not bring the ball up the floor like Jokic and now Sengun.

The Rockets, largely due to Sengun, are off to an 11-5 start — their best record through the first 16 games since the 2019-20 season.