according to Yahoo Sports\u2019 Ben Rohrbach<\/a>. Sengun is in incredible company as the names above him on the list include Jalen Williams, Lebron James, Evan Mobley, Jimmy Butler, Karl Anthony Towns, and De\u2019Aaron Fox, and the argument can be made that after this season, Sengun could become better than some of the players on that list if he is not already. Sengun will benefit greatly from Durant\u2019s presence, as we have heard a lot about. Conversely, though, Sengun\u2019s presence also benefits Durant. Sengun is the best center he has ever played with. Then again, there aren\u2019t many centers who are like Sengun, outside of Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis, who have both made All-NBA teams. In the pick-and-roll action, Durant and Sengun will be difficult to stop because they can play off each other.<\/p>\nSengun has received praise from former players as well. During a recent discussion about breakout stars and future MVPs, Carmelo Anthony singled out Sengun as his top choice. He claims that Durant has never played with a big man who can pass so well.<\/p>\n
\u201dYou can use him to carry out your entire offensive strategy. Set up a pick-and-roll, pass the ball to him, and have the defense choose where to assist. That is his unique quality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Most fans instantly made a comparison to two-time MVP and Denver Nuggets standout Nikola Jokic. Similar to Jokic, Sengun has unusual intuition for a player of his size. He can spot plays before they happen and make accurate passes that let Houston\u2019s offense get going. Anthony went on to say that Sengun will now have the ideal setting to display the full extent of his abilities since Kevin Durant is in Houston.<\/p>\n
He observes, \u201cYou can\u2019t double Sengun with KD there.\u201d That makes a huge difference. Durant\u2019s arrival in Houston this offseason could be the turning point in Sengun\u2019s rise to superstardom. Durant\u2019s scoring gravity naturally draws defensive attention, creating passing lanes and mismatches that Sengun can exploit. The early chemistry between the two has already been evident in preseason action, with Sengun\u2019s playmaking. Anthony thinks that collaboration could help the Rockets reach new heights. Anthony says:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a nightmare when you have a big like Sengun who can punish them with his passing and a guy like KD who demands doubles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Durant also gets something he hasn\u2019t often had, thanks to the fit: a real passing big man who can share creation responsibilities. Carmelo notes:<\/p>\n
\u201cDurant has never had a center who could read the floor like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite drawing attention, Anthony\u2019s statement has some substance. Sengun meets all the requirements for an MVP season with his combination of team impact, statistical performance, and narrative momentum. By the end of the season, Anthony\u2019s projection would not seem so far-fetched if the Rockets can push for the playoffs and he continues on his current track, increasing his efficiency while spearheading the offense. And if Sengun keeps playing with the same composure and originality that have characterized his ascent, this year may be the one when the NBA community discovers what Houston already knows.<\/p>\n
The Western Conference is still very competitive, though, and Houston\u2019s young team will need to demonstrate that it can turn potential into victories. One thing is for sure that the Rockets are set for an exciting season this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alperen Sengun agreed to a five-year, $185 million contract extension with Houston Rockets in October 2024, which included…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355732,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3794],"tags":[7,292,194,4066,6,211,50495],"class_list":{"0":"post-355731","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston-rockets","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-houston","10":"tag-houston-rockets","11":"tag-houstonrockets","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-rockets","14":"tag-rockets-training-camp-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115411432924332332","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355731\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}