HoopsHype Ranks Rockets' Alperen Sengun as 8th-Best Center in NBA

Sengun is starting to get his flowers.

Mar 10, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into last season, questions arose regarding Alperen Sengun's rank among the league's top centers. To some, he had already etched himself as a top-10 big man.

To others, he hadn't proven enough yet to earn top-10 status. However, there's no debate about it now.

Last season, Sengun racked up nearly two million All-Star votes and almost willed the Houston Rockets to the postseason, posting averages of 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5 assists, 53.7 percent from the field, and 58.5 percent true shooting.

HoopsHype's Frank Urbina put together his list of the league's top-30 centers and Sengun came in eighth. Urbina's synopsis is below:

"A promising center with a decently high ceiling thanks to his offensive game, Houston Rockets big man Alperen Sengun has been described as a Jokic Lite in the past, a big man who can score at a high level in maybe not the most orthodox ways and also create for teammates with flashy passes.

Sengun has a funky offensive game, making him a tough cover for opponents who often have no clue which way he’s going to turn next. A face-up specialist with driving ability, Sengun finished third in the Most Improved Player vote last season and might have gotten more consideration if he didn’t miss nearly 20 games due to injury.

Houston should be getting huge value out of Sengun in 2024-25 considering he’s set to be paid just $5.4 million next season. If Sengun even just replicates his 2023-24 output next league year while earning that salary, the Rockets will be getting a steal value-wise when it comes to their starting center, who already got All-Star consideration last season.

We think All-Star for Sengun in 2024-25 is a perfectly reasonable expectation."

Sengun has consistently ranked as one of the top-three passing centers in the league, alongside Denver's Nikola Jokic and Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis, but it's good to see him now consistently viewed as one of the league's better centers.

As Urbina notes, Sengun could very well earn All-Star status in 2024-25.

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