Alperen Sengun had an opportunity to prove that his 2024-2025 All-Star campaign wasn’t a fluke, and that Raphael Stone and Ime Udoka were right to hand him the keys to the franchise when they traded away Jalen Green and brought in a 37-year-old Kevin Durant. The result? I guess you could say he did that? He did average 20.4 points, almost 9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game, and he was technically an All-Star, albeit as an injury replacement.
Sengun had a good season. He is a good player, but something
just doesn’t feel right with him. I’ve come to the conclusion that Alpi just isn’t the kind of guy that is going to put a team on his back. Perhaps it’s been silly for anyone to expect him to do that, but after the Rockets anemic performance against an injury-riddled Lakers team, one that proceeded to get swept in the Conference Semi-Finals by a true contender, it’s hard to argue to the contrary.
When Kevin Durant got here, the plan was not that he would carry this team on his back. At least I hope that wasn’t the plan, because if it was, we have to have a whole other discussion about holding Rafael Stone to the fire. I don’t believe it was the plan. Kevin Durant was supposed to be the compliment to Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, the guy who could reliably knock down shots, contribute on defense with his length and athleticism, and on occasion be counted upon to go get you a clutch bucket. What happened was that the offense was far too reliant on Kevin Durant all season long.
Alperen Sengun was one of the main characters in the “let me try to give the ball to KD before I do anything else… and if I can’t I’ll just go iso and try and score myself” storyline. Against mediocre and bad teams, that worked out just fine. But other than a fluky first few weeks of the season where the Rockets were hitting threes like crazy and had the number one offense in the league, this team just never felt like a true contender, and unfortunately Alperen Sengun just never felt like that number one guy that you look at and you say “That guy is gonna win a championship.”
It’s not that I don’t think he can win. I believe Alperen Sengun is the kind of player championship teams need. At times he shows real toughness in the paint finishing through contact, a good rebounder, excellent passer, good teammate… and if the Rockets were ever to acquire one of two things… extreme depth like the OKC Thunder, or a bonafide superstar like the Spurs have in Victor Wembanyama, then Alperen Sengun could be a key cog in a championship wheel.
In my review of Jabri Smith Jr., I talked about how some players step there game up when it matters most. In the big regular season games and in the playoffs. Yes, if you look at his stat line, Alperen Sengun’s production had a slight uptick in the playoffs. However, if you watched the Rockets in the playoffs then you know there were key stretches where he was just plain bad. None more so than in Game 3 where yes, he scored 33 points and had 16 rebounds, but also contributed mightily to what is the worst collapse in recent Rockets postseason history, with bad turnovers, stagnant offensive possessions, and honestly looking lost at times. Alperen Sengun had a chance to show the world he’s a star, and in my humble opinion, he squandered that opportunity.
Now all that being said, I am NOT in the camp that believes Sengun should be traded. I believe that Raphael Stone needs to build a better roster that includes him. The redundant amount of wing players with the exact same skill-set and weaknesses, while having no guards on the team at all, has to change. The Rockets need more creators and more shooters. Give a passing big-man like Sengun that, and he could easily average close to a triple-double. Whatever happens, the Rockets can’t keep slamming their head into the wall they slammed into all season and never broke through. Otherwise, they will squander away Alperen Sengun as he begins to enter his prime.
