HoopsHype ranks Rockets star Alperen Sengun as the NBA’s fourth-best center entering the 2025-26 season, one spot ahead of former MVP Joel Embiid.
The last of our positional rankings: Centers.
Six of the Top 7 players were born abroad. The other one plays for the Dominican Republic in FIBA competitions.https://t.co/YcgtqvwsaR
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) September 9, 2025
Coming off a strong run at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 tournament, Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun checks in at No. 4 on HoopsHype’s positional rankings.
The only big men ranked higher are Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets; Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs; and Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks.
Regarding Sengun, HoopsHype’s Frank Urbina writes:
A first-time All-Star in 2024-25, we expect to see Houston Rockets big man Alperen Sengun have a whole lot more accolades once all it’s said and done, as the skilled center has an All-NBA-level ceiling to his game.
Sengun is another center with that modern, skilled twist to his game, as he can not only score with his back to the basket or after facing up, but he can also rebound at a high level and make plays for teammates in a creative manner unbecoming of a traditional 5. Sengun is probably just a reliable 3-point shot away from reaching those All-NBA heights, something he worked on this offseason with Serbian coach Djordje Sijan.
Even without the 3-point stroke, Sengun is already an All-Star-level guy, and considering he only just turned 23 years old, that has us thinking big things are in store for the Turkish native.
With the center list unveiled, HoopsHype has now released its top-26 rankings for all five positional groups. By position, Houston’s representatives are:
Each set of rankings is based on projected output for the 2025-26 season, as opposed to a review of past production.
Names immediately behind Sengun in the center rankings include Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings.