To Houston Rockets fans, Alperen Sengun is like a newborn puppy, or 1990s comedian Ray Ramano: everyone fell into his charisma.
It’s hard to tell when Sengun unknowingly stole the fans’ hearts. It could be his viral proclamation of “very happy” on draft night, the GIF of that hilarious dance, or his little habit of praying before free throws to get the ball to the rim.
Sengun’s popularity may be due to his amazing passing vision, non-stop post movement, or devastating isolation efficiency. It’s just that Rockets fans didn’t expect that in addition to Jalen Green, there would be such a potential All-Star player in the 2021 NBA draft.
Sengun is an incredibly talented basketball player, but he’s also a player who may be physically limited, but the real question is will he be the cornerstone of the team?
Alperen Senguntalent
We’ll start with why Rockets fans see Sengun as the center of gravity for the future Rockets, and there are plenty of examples of that.
Let’s start with passing. Sengun is always on the court with assists and enjoys a DHO (dribble-handoff) role in the high post, but don’t think he’s just doing the basics. He also has the ability to pass out a no-look bounce pass, allowing a teammate to deceive the defender with his eyes before he actually cuts in.
He also makes more impressive moves if he puts him in the low post. Especially after attracting two defenders, Sengun can always find open teammates and pass beautiful assists smoothly.
For now, however, he’s also making mistakes quite often. The young center is averaging 4.5 assists and 3.6 turnovers per 75 possessions. But none of that matters for Houston right now, because the Rockets really like his desire to win.
If Sengun’s passing lanes are blocked, he still has a lot of impact on the court. For his current isolation skills, Sengun has a 67.5 percent chance of scoring, which also puts him in the 91st percentile.
However, skeptics of Sengun argue that he is responsible for much of the shock to the second unit.
Many will likely boo these skeptics, since no rookie is expected to have a standout singles performance under any circumstances, let alone a 16th overall pick. However, although Sengun has a very high basketball talent, including combining his footwork and fake movements, and finally ending with a coup, he also indirectly means that he is covering up the fact that he is not physically fit.
Sengun is a tall man who can pass the ball very well, and he can be a destructive hot pot on the court. So it shouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’s a future superstar, right? But in fact he still has some hardware problems to be solved.
Alperen Sengunlimits
A trait that an NBA player possesses in addition to talent may also be their malleability. Some players have both. Kevin Durant can play with absolutely any player because he can stretch the floor, guard multiple positions, and even score without dribbling. Whether it’s playing him against point guards, tall guys with barely any space, or defensive specialists, those aren’t too much of an issue.
Other players make up for their own limitations in different ways, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo’s inefficiency from long range, so he has to play with four shooters to be most effective. Still, his diverse defense has allowed the Bucks to put him in a variety of lineups.
On the other end of the spectrum, some players have some very specific needs. For example, Domantas Sabonis is an All-Star talent, but he still has some limitations. He can’t create space, and because of his physical limitations, the team’s defense is below average. He needs teammates with the ability to create space around him, and a versatile 3-and-D player to play alongside him in the frontcourt.
To you, which of these players is Alperen Sengun most similar to?
Sengun and Sabonis share many of the same advantages and disadvantages, especially with regard to physiological limitations. He has a negative wingspan-to-height ratio and lacks lateral movement. He’s a tall guy who doesn’t like much in the paint, but he’s too slow at the 4.
Offensively, he’s been a valuable and well-set screen off the ball, but he can’t open the floor. In a league dominated by the 3-point shot, he needs four teammates who are good at spacing to reinforce his particular strengths.