At 12-4, the Houston Rockets are riding high on both sides of the floor. One of the NBA’s top teams on both offense (122 rating) and defense (111.1) is looking like a legitimate title contender.

A large portion of the Rockets’ early success has come from the addition of Kevin Durant. The 37-year-old and one of the greatest scorers in league history, has gravitated defenses and boosted Houston’s efficiency, allowing other players to shine.

One of those players who has taken another leap is Alperen Sengun. The Turkish center made his first All-Star appearance last season and has continued that production this year. He’s averaging 22 points, 9.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game on 48-40-73 shooting splits.

While he isn’t quite on the level of Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Luka Doncic, Sengun does find himself on NBA.com’s latest MVP ladder from Shaun Powell.

Sengun is placed at No. 9, one spot in front of Jalen Johnson (Atlanta Hawks) and one behind Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers). He isn’t expected to win the award, but it shows he’s one of the best players in the league, and he has a good shot at an All-NBA team.

While Durant is averaging 24.6 points per game on incredible efficiency, he isn’t quite the scorer he was in his prime, and that’s okay. His mere impact from being on the floor is immense, and it has allowed Sengun to score more on his own.

The biggest improvement in the 23-year-old’s game has been his three-point shot. Sengun is taking 2.9 deep shots per game, knocking down an average of 1.2. He’s also shooting a career-high from the free-throw line on 6.6 attempts per game, the most of any season he’s been in the NBA.

Sengun has slowed down a bit over the last three games, averaging 16.0 points, 5.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds. However, Houston has gone 2-1 in that stretch, and Durant didn’t play in the team’s wins against the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. The rest of the rotation, specifically Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr., have given elite production on both ends.

The Rockets will continue their schedule on Sunday for the first of two games against the Jazz in Utah. With Durant returning, Houston will get the chance to grab a few wins against a lottery team, and Sengun could get back on track in the scoring department.