Can Rockets’ Alperen Sengun become an All-Star in 2023-24 NBA season?
Alperen Sengun’s All-Star numbers are powering the Houston Rockets to a top-four seed in the Western Conference.
HOUSTON, TX — The NBA season is nine games in, and there have been some spectacular surprises. For starts, the Houston Rockets are the Western Conference’s fourth seed. The squad is in the top ten in the majority of important offensive and defensive metrics. It’s no surprise that the addition of All-Star Fred VanVleet and All-Defensive selection Dillon Brooks aids these reasons. Alperen Sengun, on the other hand, is a major aspect that effectively makes the Rockets a more formidable squad this season.
Baby Jokic’s
Alperen Sengun, nicknamed “Baby Jokic” by his friends, with a combination of post agility and perimeter talents reminiscent of the NBA legend. In his third season and at the age of 21, he’s already putting up All-Star-caliber numbers, averaging 19.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists while shooting an efficient 61.6% from the field and 66.7% on midrange shots, which ranks second in the league.
Sengun’s long-range shooting, which hovers around 28%, isn’t exactly headline material, but that’s not what Coach Udoka is looking for from him. The Rockets are comfortably tenth in the league in team three-point shooting (37%), thanks largely to Sengun’s superb passing and his long-awaited role in controlling the offense, a serious oversight from the Stephen Silas era.
Sengun’s Improved Defense
Initially, Rockets fans and the front office promulgated Jalen Green as their franchise star. While he’s shown improves on his shooting, playmaking, and perimeter defense, Sengun has taken a bigger leap. From his scouting report, offense was not necessarily going to be an issue for the Turkish-born center. It’s the defense that has been a chronic problem since stepping foot on an NBA court. From his rookie year up until this season, Sengun averaged a 118.5 in defensive rating and had a negative net rating of 9. This season, Sengun’s display as a defender has been night and day. In the nine games he’s been on the court, Alpi currently has a 106.1 defensive rating and a 10.6 positive net rating.
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