Inside The Rockets

Rockets 'Always Have Been High' on Alperen Sengun

Alperen Sengun, 21, is averaging 19.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Houston Rockets in 25 games this season.

Jeremy Brener

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Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun is surprising a lot of people in his third NBA season.

Sengun, 21, is averaging 19.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Rockets in 25 games this season. Many are considering him the Most Improved Player of the Year and even a surprise All-Star candidate. However, none of this is surprising general manager Rafael Stone, who drafted him with the No. 16 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

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"Kind of like all of our players, I’m very happy with his growth defensively," Stone said via Kelly Iko of The Athletic. "Offensively, he’s improved but even defensively, we’re very high on Alperen; we always have been. What I would say is we’re happy with where he’s at but nothing he’s done this year has particularly surprised me."

Sengun has made strides on the defensive end, but this was to be expected as he grows more comfortable with the NBA game and grows both in length and in strength.

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People shouldn't be surprised with Sengun anymore because he has proven to be strong throughout a consistent period of time. The scary part is that he hasn't even gotten close to reaching his full potential ... so don't be surprised if he ends up as one of the league's top bigs by the end of the decade.

Sengun and the Rockets are back in action tonight as they host the Dallas Mavericks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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