As a Houston Rockets writer, I don’t write about Alperen Sengun very often.
Some of you know why. For the uninitiated, here’s a potentially self-indulgent confession.
I have a graphic saved on my phone quoting me as saying the Rockets should trade Sengun (and picks) for Nic Claxton and Mikal Bridges. I know that if you search my name on Houston Rockets Reddit, it won’t take long before the word “moron” comes up.
And…it bothered me. I don’t like being called a moron. But that was a while ago. My life
has changed. I am a teacher now, and this is a hobby. I still don’t love being called a moron, but my reaction is softer in my old age. I know that I am neither a genius nor a moron.
I’m not the only variable that’s changed. Sengun’s PR is presently in the gutter. If you don’t believe me, find any post in any corner of social media that mentions Sengun that isn’t from a Rockets-focused account.
Pick One: Alperen Sengun, Lauri Markkanen, Chet Holmgren, or Jaren Jackson Jr. This was a viral (and meaningless) comparison that was making the rounds recently. Here’s what the replies looked like
“Sengun is clearly the worst”
“Definitely not Shampoo”
…Etc.
If anyone answers Sengun, they’re almost certainly a Rockets fan, a Turkish person, or a combination of both. The criticisms are the same that this moron levied against him from a much earlier time. He’s a bit too small to be a five, he’s a defensive liability, and he’s a ball-dominant player who can’t shoot.
Is there any hope left?
Sengun faces pivotal 2026-27 season
The year was 2023-24. Sengun posted an impressive 4.9 Box Plus/Minus (BPM). The numbers people were having a field day. There was a veritable mass of think pieces along the lines of “here’s a list of players in their age-21 season to post a BPM above 4”. Sengun was a poster boy for a certain brand of basketball fan.
The next year, it was 4.4. Then, it was 4.2. Last year, per DataBallr, the Rockets were +3.5 with Sengun on the floor, and +12.3 when he was resting. None of these stats are perfect, but in this case, it has reflected reality. It’s begun to feel like Sengun peaked early.
Unless…
There’s plenty of room for improvement. Take your pick. Better three-point shooting? Better defense? Better interior efficiency?
Yet, isn’t that the point? We’re heading into year six, and there is so much room for improvement.
The Sengun Army is already at arms. Doesn’t Thompson have room to improve? Why are we protecting Jabari Smith Jr.?
Wake me up when Smith Jr. is the highest-usage player in the young core, or when he isn’t making roughly $10 million less per year than Sengun. Smith Jr. is useful even if he’s not a star, which, again, is the point. Sengun doesn’t have those secondary qualities to carve out a secondary role.
Thompson does. A non-shooting role player makes for some roster construction barriers, but at his best, Thompson is a top-5 wing defender. He’s also got two fewer NBA seasons under his belt, and despite their comparable ages, that means two fewer seasons of NBA-level training.
Sengun’s talent is beyond reproach. His footwork, passing creativity, and understanding of the game are all on display every year.
I always remember when the Rockets lost Chandler Parsons and replaced him with Trevor Ariza. Such a downgrade. Ariza is worse in almost every way: ball-handling, passing, isolation scoring…
Well, he’s a better defender. That’s about it, and that’s all that mattered. It was an upgrade, and I came to understand portability in basketball.
Perhaps it’s a lesson I’ve applied too thoroughly to Sengun. If it isn’t clear, I would have likely replaced him with an above-average defensive big years ago, even if they had minimal juice in their offensive repertoire. The Sengun and picks for Claxton and Bridges framework I’d have advocated for would have been a disaster, as Amen Thompson would not have been ready (if he ever will) for the offensive responsibilities he’d have necessarily taken on.
Replacing Sengun with role players isn’t viable. Replacing him with a different star player, rather than pairing him with one, could be the path forward for this roster: Emphasis on “could”.
Speaking of this roster…
It would be fair to assert that it hasn’t been built to optimize Sengun. A playmaking hub operating in the interior should be surrounded by shooters and smart off-ball movers. Sengun is surrounded by non-shooters. Thompson is a great off-ball mover, but he’s the most non-shootingest non-shooter of all the non-shooters.
The counterargument is that Sengun also needs to be surrounded by defenders, and defenders who can shoot are a market scarcity. Fair, but if we’re strictly talking about what would have been best for Sengun, it would have been to maximize the offense and punt on defense.
It’s too late for that. That doesn’t mean it’s too late for Sengun, but the clock is ticking. If the Rockets run into “sure there’s talent here, but they can’t shoot” again in the first round, he’s probably gone next summer.
Maybe you’d prefer Thompson on the chopping block. If you think the front office will trade him before they trade Sengun, I’ll softly recommend not gambling on sports. Tea leaf reading is not your strong suit.
We’re 902 words deep here. That’ll do. You have reached the end of my annual-ish Alperen Sengun piece.
The next one will either be about his on-court improvements or a summary of his time in Houston.
