Rockets Will Need More Consistency Out of Alperen Sengun

Alperen Sengun entered the 2025-26 season with a lot of hype and fanfare. Understandably, as he was coming off his first All-Star selection and put himself on the map on the world stage at EuroBasket.

He was easily one of the best players in the tournament. There's even an argument that he may have been the best player in tournament, as he carried Turkey on his back.

He appeared primed to carry that success over in the regular season, especially based on his opening night performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder, in which he had 39 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists, in a double overtime thriller.

Sengun's role was vastly different this season than we'd seen in previous years, as the Rockets opted to deploy him as the team's table-setter and offensive engine, particularly in the half court. Fans had been clamoring for such a strategic change in previous seasons from Rockets coach Ime Udoka, but the injury to starting point guard Fred VanVleet forced Udoka's hand.

Sengun appeared to have developed an outside shot, shooting 57.1 percent from deep in the month of October, along with 79.4 percent from the foul line, in addition to 23.8 points per night. All of which would have easily been career bests, if sustained.

Not to mention 62.5 percent true shooting.

Throughout the entirety of the season, Sengun’s efficiency has began to tank more and more. This month, he's averaging 18.2 percent from deep and 63.4 percent from the foul line, although he's still at 60.5 percent true shooting.

He's also averaging 4.4 turnovers per contest in March, along with 4.9 assists -- both of which are his worst marks all season.

All told, Sengun has experienced a regression of sorts throughout the entirety of the season. And buy and large, he's been inconsistent. At the wrong time of the season.

He's not getting to the foul line nearly as much as he was earlier in the season (8.5 attempts in October vs. 4.6 attempts this month) and he's shooting just 68.5 percent from the line, so it's not really a gain for the Rockets even if he does get fouled.

He's also capable of instantly flipping the switch. Like Monday night's game against the Chicago Bulls. The two-time All-Star big man had 33 points on just 19 shots (going 16-of-19) and had 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

Sengun helped the Rockets spark a comeback and was tremendous down the stretch, hitting big threes and even posterizing opponents. That version is Houston's best chance (and only chance) of contending in late April and beyond.

When he's playing like that, Houston is tough to beat. The Bulls game was an example, as they held a 22-point lead yet saw it evaporate, as Sengun made big plays and hit big shots during Houston's comeback. Houston will need Sengun to be more consistent come playoff time.