Fred VanVleet Believes Alperen Sengun is Capable of Being Houston's Lead Creator

Can he?

Feb 10, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) holds his head after a play during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets' playmaking void has been well-chronicled. The team was thin at the point guard spot for years, which had been masked by Fred VanVleet, who is a high assist, low turnover point guard. 

Who eats a considerable amount of minutes. 

All of that went out the window in the preseason when VanVleet went down with a season-ending knee injury. The Rockets tried slotting Amen Thompson in VanVleet's absence but quickly realized that isn't a point guard and is best served on the wing.

Being athletic and able to pass doesn't make one a point guard. The issue has been especially noticeable as it pertains to Kevin Durant's usage. 

The Rockets have struggled to get him the ball, at times icing him out completely. Other times, he's been deployed as the Rockets' pick-and-roll guard, which exposes his warts. 

Durant gets blitzed and/or trapped, which translates to instant turnovers.

Reed Sheppard is another option. 

However, he struggles to get separation without a pick.

(And Houston lost their best screen-setter in Steven Adams for the season).

Like Durant, Sheppard is also turnover averse when trapped and blitzed.

Ball pressure hinders him immensely.

(And his outside shot has tanked as the season has progressed, but that's an entirely different conversation).

Houston has used center Alperen Sengun as the team's playmaker, in the half court, putting use to his ability to create and initiate offense.

That's also been a mixed bag. It's not always effective. 

VanVleet, however, believes it can work.

"He's certainly capable of it. He's just gotta do it at a high level. You can tell when he's wheeling and dealing, point five basketball, playing quick making quick decisions."

Houston's offense is based on generating additional scoring opportunities by way of offensive rebounds. And cutting turnovers down and/or valuing possessions. 

Those things are much more difficult without Adams and VanVleet. 

Udoka has then leaned heavily on the pick-and-roll, but again, that's not as effective without a guard capable of orchestration. 

Sengun leads the Rockets in assists, with 6.3, but has also turned the ball over 3.2 times per game.

To that point, Houston has struggled with turnovers across the board, ranking bottom-ten in turnovers.