Houston Rockets rising star big man Alperen Sengun had a coming out party this summer at EuroBasket for Turkey. Turkey ended up in the gold medal game, and to get there they had to beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece in the EuroBasket Semifinals. The Milwaukee Bucks star struggled in that game being guarded by Ercan Osmani.
Turkey would end up losing in the EuroBasket gold medal game to Germany, but Alperen Sengun kept his promise to Osmani as the Rockets star gifted him a Rolex watch for his defense on Giannis, enabling the Turkish squad to get to the final round.
Although Sengun and Turkey did not ultimately emerge victorious this summer, it was a good stepping-stone for him as he prepares for the 2025-26 NBA season with the Rockets. Sengun was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career this past season. The Rockets took steps to becoming a contender in the West with their offseason blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant.
Along with Sengun’s continued development, a key free agent signing in Dorian Finney-Smith, and contract extensions for Fred VanVleet and Jabari Smith Jr., the Rockets are poised to take a leap in a deep and talented Western Conference.
This past season, Sengun appeared in 76 games at a little over 31 minutes per game. He averaged 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 49.6 percent shooting from the field, 23.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 69.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line. His rebounds were a career-high.
During the Rockets’ opening round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors, Sengun averaged 20.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.9 steals with splits of 45 percent shooting from the field, 37.5 percent shooting from the three-point line and 62.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line. It was his playoff debut.
The No. 16 overall pick by the Rockets in the 2021 NBA Draft, Sengun is one of the league’s top big men, and he should have more All-Star appearances on the way.
