Entering his third NBA season, young big man Alperen Sengun likely needs to make an impression with the Houston Rockets to secure a lucrative contract extension offer in the 2024 offseason.
It sounds as if many around the league are optimistic that could happen, and the change from Kevin Porter Jr. to Fred VanVleet at point guard could further help the chances of a breakout scenario.
Buy Rockets TicketsHere’s a sampling of what ESPN analyst JJ Redick, speaking on his latest The Old Man & The Three podcast, said of Sengun:
We know he’s good, but I’m talking about a breakout. He’s a guy that all of a sudden, I think after Year 3 will be a household name in the NBA.
Houston is going to be more competitive. They brought in Ime Udoka. They’re going to have more structure, in the same way that [Nikola] Jokic or [Domantas] Sabonis function as a hub for the offense, Sengun is going to do that for the Rockets.
There’s also the additions and, to some degree, the subtraction. That’s the additions of [Amen] Thompson and VanVleet, guys who can really pass the ball and run an offense… and to some degree, the [likely] loss of Kevin Porter Jr., I think that’s going to really benefit Sengun. I could see him having a Sabonis-type season.
Training camp for Sengun and the Rockets begins next Tuesday, Oct. 3, as they kick off the 2023-24 campaign. Now 21 years old, the 6-foot-11 center averaged 14.8 points (55.5% FG, 33.3% on 3-pointers), 9.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 28.9 minutes per game last season.
JJ Redick thinks Alperen Şengün is poised for a breakout "Sabonis-like" year in 2023-24 and that the subtraction of Kevin Porter Jr. will benefit him.
"He's a guy that all of a sudden, I think after Year 3 will be a household name in the NBA," said Redick. pic.twitter.com/lwzoUnMYWL
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) September 25, 2023
