I don’t know if the Rockets are going to come back and win this series or not. I’ll admit it looks bleak. However, I’ve seen too many things happen in sports to write them off completely. Here’s what I do know. If they go out, they better go out with a fight, and that starts with the man they choose to make the centerpiece of their franchise.
Alperen Sengun has not been good in this series offensively or defensively. Yes, he has outscored and slightly outrebounded his Laker counterpart, but DeAndre
Ayton has completely outshined Sengun in his role. Sengun is shooting 38-percent from the field with the majority of his shots coming in the paint. When Sengun gets the ball, it seems he wants nothing to do with it until he is forced into a feeble shot attempt. This was especially the case in Game 2 when Kevin Durant returned.
This is a far cry from the Alperen Sengun we saw in the playoffs a season ago against the Golden State Warriors, and it speaks to the culture that has been set by this version of the Houston Rockets. “When all else fails, look to Kevin Durant.” That was not supposed to be the case. The role KD is playing on this team was never going to be a winning formula and it was proven so in Game 2. You cannot strictly rely on a 37-year-old Kevin Durant to carry your team to a championship. Kevin Durant was supposed to be the perfect complement to the Rockets young core, not their crutch.
If the Rockets are going to get back in this series Alperen Sengun has to play like a star. If he can’t do that against DeAndre Ayton and a depleted Lakers squad, then whom in the league can he do it against? Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets? Chet Holmgren and the Thunder? The Houston Rockets traded away a hyper athletic two-way guard with star potential and an absolute junkyard dog in Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks and yes, it was to acquire Kevin Durant, but it was also because they believe that Alperen Sengun is the future of this franchise.
A conversation is to be had about the culpability of Ime Udoka in all this mess and believe me, we will have that discussion. However, the playoffs are still going on until the Rockets have lost four games, and Ime Udoka isn’t getting fired mid-series. The players ultimately have to play. Sengun has that dog in him, we’ve seen it in flashes. We need to see it in droves if the Rockets are going to come back and tie this series at 2-2. That is the only way that the Rockets are coming back to win and get to the next round.
It won’t be easy, especially with LeBron James standing in their way. But crazier things have happened in Houston Rockets history. This writer for one is not throwing in the towel just yet. Now, it’s up to these players to show they have as much pride in themselves as you and I have in this franchise. May the ghosts of Clutch City reside at Toyota Center for the next 72 hours.
