Rockets Center Alperen Sengun in Prime Position to Be First-Time All-Star?
The Houston Rockets have surprised a lot of people so far this season, as the team have nearly matched last year's win total of 22 victories. And a lot of the Rockets' success can be attributed to the All-Star level play of Alperen Sengun.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps recently made their selections for the reserves for both the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star teams. And for the West, Sengun was one of their picks, as they think he is a guy that can do it all.
Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun finishes over Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
"The guy is averaging 22.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, and those five assists are very impressive," Windhorst said. "He's shooting a really high percentage, and he is a great personality."
Sengun's passing (and lack of defense) has led many to compare him to two-time MVP Nikola Jokić, and the similarities are absolutely there. He impacts the game in just about every single way, similar to Jokić, and his team is a different player when he is on the court.
"He's a really entertaining guy, he's having a great year, and he's been sort of the face of phase two for the Rockets," Bontemps said. "They're moved into this new era with the team where they are trying to make the playoffs this year."
Sengun will look to keep proving to people that he belongs on the Western Conference All-Star team, starting in the Rockets next game on Wednesday against the Portland Trail Blazers. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in the Toyota Center.
