After a good rookie season and a very successful EuroBasket, Alperen Sengun has started to build a reputation as a player to be reckoned with next season and for many years to come. Yes, it would seem that the Rockets have found a nugget.
We may not be a fan of this type of player, it is however impossible not to be intrigued. The new Rockets center isn’t very tall (2m08), not very athletic, but my God… he stinks of basketball. Like reigning double MVP Nikola Jokic, he compensates for his physical “shortcomings” with a keen sense of play and moves at the low post that recall the construction sites that the Joker undertakes against opposing pivots. And like his Nuggets counterpart, Alperen isn’t afraid to go for the coals against bigger, better-trimmed and overall more impressive guys. Attention, Sengun remains a beautiful, very sturdy baby of 110 kilos eh, but what makes his strength is his ability to combine power and footwork, all decorated with an elite touch of the ball. Here is a small compilation of his best actions in slooowww motion: sky-hook here, lay-up there, genius passes, defenders who jump everywhere with each feint of the eyebrow, a few tomars and even one or two cons in mean altitude. After an almost full season of 72 games at 9.6 points and 5.5 rebounds and a campaign with Turkey at 16.5 points and 8.2 rebounds, the young Sengun will have to confirm the expectations around him to settle in the Texas. If he develops his outdoor game – the gestures are there, but also the concrete blocks: 25% behind the arc this season – he could become very annoying, if not unbearable for the opposing defenses. Besides, a former Rocket, not too bad at basketball, sometimes trains with him. Her name ? Hakeem Olajuwon.
With the very young Rockets, the 20-year-old Turkish pivot will have a real card to play. We can’t wait to see him back on the court, sharp and unbearable to defend. The ceiling is very high for this player, his name is Nikola Jokic for the most optimistic.