The Exciting New Frontcourt of the Houston Rockets
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During the 2021 pre-draft process, this writer continued to talk up Turkish center Alperen Şengün for his slick passing, established rebounding, and overall scoring upside. As told by one scout, "He should be a top-five pick", the broader perception of the now 20-year-old was a bit murkier.
The San Antonio Spurs, holding the 12th overall selection, and in need for a long-term center with upside (no disrespect, Jakob Pöltl), should have been the obvious landing spot for Şengün, but even they passed and allowed him to slip down to 16th, where the Oklahoma City Thunder picked him, and inexplicably moved him moments later to the Houston Rockets.
Şengün went on to prove that several teams made a blunder in not picking him, netting 9.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.6 flashy dimes per night, in just 20.7 minutes.
One year later - just months ago in fact - LSU forward Tari Eason landed in Houston. So far, no one knows if Eason is to make as many teams look silly by the end of his rookie season.
However, with Eason and Şengün now on the same team together, paired up with Jabari Smith, Josh Christopher, and Jalen Green, the 2022-2023 Rockets have suddenly become catnip to this old man, and we need to talk about the explosive potential of that duo.
(This is where more rational people will point out that the more intriguing duo is Green and Smith, to which I say... Shhh. Let me have this.)
You see, on paper, the combination of Şengün and Eason up front is tantalizing. It combines two entertainment factors that should mesh incredibly well: A perversely intelligent big man passer, who can deliver pin-point dimes either out of the post, while on the move, or standing from outside the three-point line, and a highly athletic take-no-prisoners forward who will try to dunk the life away from opponents when given enough runway.
Alley, meet Oop.
I can already now picture the ball being moved around, only to end up in the hands of Şengün, who makes a quick dribble move towards the basket, only to stop on a dime and letting an already airborne Eason pass him down the lane, and whipping a small no-look pass into the air, which will get caught, and will get hammered down with immense authority.
Oh, and let's not forget basic give-and-go sets, and even pick and roll actions, which between your center and power forward sounds delicious.
Yes, as you can hear, I'm in on this. All the way.
Eason being a relentless attacker, who seemingly finds a way to make himself involved in every offensive possession, isn't entirely dissimilar from how Şengün operates. But their games differ so greatly, there should be very limited overlap in their respective demand of the ball. Eason wants to dunk on everyone and force the ball down the throats of opponents. Şengün seems almost more content setting up teammates than he does scoring himself, although he's developed quite a few moves in the post, should the need arise.
Eason, who netted 16.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in just 24.4 minutes at LSU, won't necessarily wow you with playmaking of his own, but as the end-target of an offensive possession, the 6-foot-9 forward should be able to stuff the stat sheet, and fairly quickly.
Further making this duo incredibly exciting is the presence of Green, the team's best raw scorer, who might somehow be able to sneak under the radar when sharing the floor with those two.
Allowing Green to free-roam, and rely more on his perimeter shooting, could serve multiple purposes.
One, he'd be able to avoid carrying too big of a constant offensive burden, allowing him to be more effective throughout the course of a game. Secondly, by playing next to two rock stars like Eason and Şengün, Green should often find himself dealing with single coverage, as you can't really justify removing defenders from whatever lunacy Eason and Şengün cooks up on the fly.
And should teams send help towards Green, that provides more space for Eason and Şengün to operate in. Put in second-year man Josh Christopher, or Kevin Porter Jr, to function as a spot-up shooter, and maybe even get Smith in there too for the same purpose, and it truly becomes a question for defenses to pick their poison.
It should be noted, however, that the Rockets have a lot of young players in need of minutes, so it's uncertain how much time Eason and Şengün will get alongside one another. Eric Gordon is still in need of rotation minutes, as is Porter Jr and Jae'Sean Tate. Kenyon Martin Jr also seems to have cut out a semi-permanent slot in the rotation.
Even with Christian Wood now in Dallas, the Rockets will need to find a way to clear minutes for their young core. Let's just hope they give Eason and Şengün the time to get comfortable with each other, so we all once and for all can see if their games fit in reality, or if it's best left to the imagination of this hopeful writer.
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