Rockets' Alperen Sengun: 'Valuable Building Block'?

Alperen Sengun is about to enter his third season with the Houston Rockets.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 15, 2023

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Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets had opportunities this offseason to switch things up at the center position, but they ultimately decided to stick with Alperen Sengun.

Sengun, 21, has an incredibly high ceiling as a center with passing chops like a point guard and the Rockets coaching staff will be tasked with how exactly to utilize his strengths ... something Stephen Silas and Co. weren't quite successful in managing.

Sengun was listed at No. 85 in CBS Sports' top 100 player rankings.

"The Rockets have a lot to figure out still, but Sengun appears to be a valuable building block," CBS Sports writes. "The Turkish big man averaged a near double-double in his first season as a full-time starter, posting 14.8 points, nine rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. He isn't the biggest or the most explosive, but he brings relentless effort and should get more credit as a passer. Sengun has grown to 6-foot-11 after entering the league at 6-foot-9, and could be in for his best year yet."

Despite a slow start to the season, Sengun showcased a lot of potential in his second year. Now with a true point guard in Fred VanVleet and an improved defensive unit around him, lineups where Sengun is the center may no longer be seen as such a liability.

If he can improve himself on defensive end, he has the ability to jump much higher up on this list a year from now.

Sengun is set to begin training camp with the rest of the Rockets on Tuesday, Oct. 3.

Published Sep 15, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.