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.
Advertisement
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:
Power forward: Jabari Smith Jr. at No. 17, Dorian Finney-Smith at No. 24, Tari Eason at No. 26
Center: Alperen Sengun at No. 4
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.
More: Top 2025-26 power forwards: Rockets lead NBA with three representatives
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: NBA center rankings: Rockets star Alperen Sengun among top four bigs