Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun nearly had a triple-double in the Rockets home opener. Sengun went on to finish the game with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. He showed his post-up ability as well as his shooting touch. He made 9-of-15 shots while also making both of his three-point attempts.
Houston Rockets Center Sengun Causes a Lot of Problems
Sengun causes a lot of problems for opposing defenses. Sengun has been an efficient scorer since he got in the league, shooting the ball at 51.8% for his career. Since he’s been in the league, he has improved his three-point shot in a major way. Two and a half minutes into the game, Sengun made a layup; the very next possession, he was able to make a three because they were worried about the drive.
He causes the most problems when he is in the post. He’s too big for most players, and too patient for others. The biggest thing that makes him hard to guard is his passing. He is great at finding the open shooter or players cutting when he’s posting up. His IQ mixed with his skill makes him a nightmare matchup.
Sengun’s Presence Opens Up Kevin Durant’s game
Sengun being on the floor makes scoring much easier for Kevin Durant. He draws a lot of defensive attention, as does Durant. They are able to feed off of that and connect with each other on the court. When Sengun posts up, defenses send multiple defenders to him, causing a chain reaction of switches; that’s when Durant becomes most lethal and takes advantage.
When Durant is having a great game, everyone focuses on him, which causes Sengun to get one-on-one chances. When both of them are clicking, Houston’s offense looks beautiful. They are both able to create good opportunities for the rest of the team. Both of them draw so much attention, and the role players end up with open looks.
Houston’s Offensive Ceiling
When Sengun is scoring, rebounding, and facilitating like this, it creates more opportunities for the whole team. It allows everyone else to attack and be aggressive, with defenses getting out of position. This is an encouraging first game, but this level of play is something that the Rockets will have to prove they can keep doing. They must continue to share the ball and play through Sengun and Durant. They have the talent to keep this play going.
Houston showed a balanced attack in this game against the Mavericks. Everyone will be looking for consistency from this team. They looked really good in this first game; now the question is whether they can do it against the best teams.
Houston’s success could depend on the play of Sengun. When he has games like this, the Rockets become unstoppable. His ability to post up and find open players while also knocking down threes is important for Houston. Now we’ll have to wait and see if he can do this again on Friday in a game against the San Antonio Spurs.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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