Inside The Rockets

Rockets' Alperen Sengun Praises 'Good Leader' Fred VanVleet

Fred VanVleet is already leading the Houston Rockets before he officially practices with his new teammates.
Jeremy Brener|
Rockets' Alperen Sengun Praises 'Good Leader' Fred VanVleet
Rockets' Alperen Sengun Praises 'Good Leader' Fred VanVleet

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Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets have been experimental, to say the least, at the point guard position since they traded James Harden in early 2021.

Since then, the Rockets have tried different options at point guard ... John Wall, Kevin Porter Jr., Daishen Nix ... but none of those seemed to stick. The experiment ended in free agency this summer when the team signed Toronto Raptors All-Star Fred VanVleet to a three-year deal, bringing in a proven leader to Houston.

Even though he signed just two weeks ago, Rockets center Alperen Sengun said on "The Bradeaux and Will Show" that his presence is already felt amongst his teammates.

"Fred is a good leader," Sengun said. "You can understand already. Your point guard needs to be a leader and someone that can teach. He's texting everyone already that he signed for Houston. He has the experience as a champion."

VanVleet is the type of player that not only provides a strong offensive game for himself, but can also help the players around him.

A major problem for the Rockets in their rebuild has been the turnover rate. Houston was tied for last along with the Golden State Warriors in turnovers last season. The Raptors, led by VanVleet, had the fewest turnovers in the league. That should go a long way for the Rockets.

On top of that, he provides a strong complement for Jalen Green and can allow him to be the pure scorer he was meant to be when he was taken with the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft. For the first time in his career, Green has a true point guard that can set him up for success.

This also benefits Jabari Smith Jr., another player who did not benefit from the poor spacing in the offense last year. With VanVleet setting him up, there's more opportunities for more open looks compared to his rookie season.

For Sengun, he can become a better playmaker with VanVleet on the squad. Being able to pick the brain of a true, successful point guard will hopefully allow Sengun to see the game from a different perspective and allow him to have that "point forward" mindset.

You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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