Rockets' Alperen Sengun's Free Throw Shooting Already Showing Improvement

Alperen Sengun improved free throw shooting is a great sign.

Sep 30, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during Houston Rockets media day. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

In his transition to the NBA, Alperen Sengun was seen as an elite post player who needed to improve his outside shooting. While he encountered challenges from the 3-point line at times, Sengun was expected to be a proficient free-throw shooter, especially considering his shooting percentage of over 80%.

In his first two seasons, Sengun's free throw shooting hasn't been horrible but not at the level we saw from him playing in Turkey. In his rookie season Sengun shot 71% from the free throw line but did improve slightly in his second season finishing 72% from the charity stripe.

Sengun saw increased playing time, which led to more free-throw attempts. He shot a career-high 5.6 free throws per game but unfortunately had the worst free-throw percentage of his career, making only 69.3%. This sometimes caused issues as he got to the line more than anyone else on the team.

Sengun has mentioned several times during the offseason and training camp how he has been working on his shooting. Through two preseason Sengun was not only the best free-throw shooter on the team but one of the best free shooters in the NBA.

Yes, two games are a small sample size but 15-for-16 from the line at any time of the season is a great start. That is over 93% and shows that he has improved during the summer. Keep in mind Sengun is also tied for third in free throw attempts so he has consistently gotten to the line through two games.

Sengun's improved free throw shooting will also give Ime Udoka confidence that he can keep him in close games. Over the years, we have seen teams use the "hack-a-player" strategy to either slow down the opposing team or to get back into a game. This is because they know that the targeted player will typically miss at least one free throw.

Improved free-throw shooting and Sengun's enhanced defense may lead to him seeing more playing time on the court instead of sitting on the bench during close games, as was the case last season. While it's unlikely that Sengun will maintain a shooting percentage of over 90% from the free-throw line for the entire season, if he can return to his pre-NBA shooting numbers, it will further enhance his offensive game.

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