Houston‘s nightmare road trip finally came to and end as they lost their third-consecutive match this Monday against the Warriors. Before losing to the Lakers and Clippers, the Rockets had won six-straight games, and now stand 6-6 in the middle of the Western Conference.
However, it hasn’t been all bad for them, as some players have excelled despite the losses. Alperen Sengun, for example, wasn’t willing to lose without a fight, as he produced 30 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists with 13-of-23 shooting (56.5%), 2-of-3 from beyond the arc (66.7%) in 37 minutes of play in Golden State. The Turkish-born athlete is averaging 20.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists on 61.5% true shooting.
Alperen Sengun over the last 5 games:
30 PTS – 13 REB – 5 AST – 56% FG
23 PTS – 10 REB – 5 AST – 68% FG
23 PTS – 8 REB – 4 AST – 44% FG
23 PTS – 8 REB – 5 AST – 50% FG
24 PTS – 8 REB – 3 AST – 73% FG pic.twitter.com/CmEfRzfKc5— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 21, 2023
His trainer praised the rising star’s attitude as he’s been giving his 100% despite the fact that Alperen has been trying to leave behind a recurrent injury.
“Yeah, same thing he did when he was hurt with the ankle and pushed through it. He loves to play in games, obviously, and wasn’t feeling his best early. You could see it a little bit on his lift and he got loose as we went and had another great game,” Udoka shared.
His squad’s offensive rating is 114.2 when he’s on the floor, and has been falling to 103.7 whenever he’s off the court. The team also possesses a defensive rating of 107.3 and a net rating of 6.9 with him.
The Ringer‘s Michael Pina described his impressions of Sengun’s talents by stating that they “are a direct descendent of what big men like [Nikola] Jokic and Domantas Sabonis currently are—hyper-efficient, pass-first control centers who push buttons and pull levers for some of the greatest offenses in history.”
The NBA world has been praising the young Rockets big man ever since this 2023/24 campaign began: ‘He’s having a hell of a season’
“Sengun reminds me of Jokic a little bit. Not the size, but he moves people out of the way. Nothing fancy, a really soft touch, the rim is really kind to his shots. He’s stronger than what he appears, and he’s gonna have to be dealt with. A special talent,” NBA legend James Worthy recently expressed.
This has been starting to become a custom this season, as every night Alperen is earning worthy recognition for Houston’s current success. “Şengun is having a hell of a season and impacts the game in so many ways,” coach Mike Malone claimed after the Nuggets loss to the Rockets on November 12.
Hall of Famer Paul Pierce recently attended Kevin Garnett’s “KG Certified” program and both voiced their opinions about the 21-year-old. “Sengun? Man, he lookin’ for real,” said the Celtics icon. “Yeah man, he underrated,” Garnett added.
Houston now sit in the West’s 8th position as they prepare to return home and clash against the Memphis Grizzlies at 7pm (CST).
