Third-year center Alperen Sengun leads the 2023-24 Houston Rockets in average points (20.9) and rebounds (8.8) per game, and he ranks second in assists (5.7). Most impressively, he’s doing it on strong efficiency (58.8% FG, 34.6% on 3-pointers), and it’s helping lead a team that is 6-6 and more competitive than most analysts expected.
Understandably, that’s turning heads around the NBA. With that in mind, could the 21-year-old make an All-Star push as early as this season? ESPN’s Zach Lowe seems to think it’s possible.
From this week’s The Lowe Post podcast:
Sengun has been incredible. Sengun might make the All-Star team this year, by the way.
All last year, I was saying, the lowest hanging fruit on this team is just give Sengun the damn ball. Just give him the ball, let him run the offense through the elbows, post him up.
Despite getting two high-usage, ball-handling guards in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks — who likes to shoot — they’ve done that, and it’s worked.
The complete episode can be listened to below.
As part of his extended commentary, Lowe noted that Houston currently ranks No. 6 in the NBA in defensive rating, which many believed to be a weakness for Sengun prior to this season.
Sengun will have another chance to build his case on Wednesday night versus Memphis. Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m. Central.
