Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun is in the midst of a breakout campaign in his third NBA season.
The 21-year-old is averaging a career-high 19.9 points to go along with 8.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. As the NBA season approaches the midway point, Sengun has been a big reason why the Rockets own a winning record (13-11) and are fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
As a result, he’s gained a bandwagon of new supporters along the way, including some new fans back home in Turkey.
Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, Turkey, recently campaigned to his 8.9 million followers to help send Sengun to the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.
Will Sengun Be Selected To His First NBA All-Star Team in 2024?
Voting for the NBA All-Star game tipped off on Tuesday, December 19th, 2023.
With Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic penciled into the starting center spot, Sengun will have a hard time earning enough votes to be a starter in the Western Conference.
That would mean his inclusion on the West All-Star team will likely come down to a vote among other head coaches.
There are seven reserves chosen per conference. NBA All-Star reserves are selected by a vote among head coaches, who cannot vote for their own players.
Sengun Already Drawing Comparisons To Jokic
Alperen Sengun x Nikola Jokic – Year 3 Usage comparison
Alperen Sengun 2023-24 (21 years old):
19.7 PPG
9 RPG
5.2 APG
32.3 MPG (minutes per game)
26% USG (Usage Rate)Nikola Jokic 2017-18 (22 years old):
18.5 PPG
10.7 RPG
6.1 APG
32.6 MPG
24.2% USG pic.twitter.com/30uEh4Uc7Z— Mitty (@MittyRockets) December 18, 2023
Given the leap that he’s made in Year 3, Sengun has already been drawing comparisons to Nikola Jokic.
In Jokic’s third season, he averaged 18.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game at just 22 years old.
Meanwhile, Sengun has put up similar numbers at just 21 years old while taking on an even bigger shot-creation burden than Jokic, who turned into a two-time NBA MVP and NBA Champion.
Could Sengun and the Rockets be on a similar trajectory? Only time will tell but making his first NBA All-Star team would put him a step ahead of Jokic, who made his first All-Star team as a reserve in 2019.
