The Rockets Need Alperen Şengün To Bring Back His Elite Play

The Houston Rockets' elite big man must return to his level of play to begin the season if the team wants to return to their elite play at that time. He may be the key to their contention chances when the postseason arrives.

Mar 2, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) shoots the ball over Washington Wizards guard Jamir Watkins (5) in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets are in a quality position to hold their spot in the Western Conference standings while also preparing their lineup for what they hope is a deep postseason run this year. A major key to their performance in the playoffs will be the play of Alperen Şengün.

Şengün's ability to score in isolation from the post or facilitate for others are some of the few playmaking opportunities the team gets from its starters.

With the limited amount of ball handling and playmaking from Amen Thompson and Kevin Durant, Şengün has had to take on a significant share of the lead responsibilities.

Reed Sheppard has begun to share more of those responsibilities with his recently increasing minutes and opportunities. Sheppard has been a strong option to play in pick-and-roll sets with Clint Capela and Şengün. His ability to play the pick-and-roll and his ability to shoot have opened up the floor for Durant and Şengün to function in the mid post areas.

When Şengün has space to work in isolation, he generally can convert at a high level. However, he has gone through stretches this season where he hasn't finished at his usual rate. His touch has been lacking at moments this season, which can hamper the team's overall performance.

The rest of the team needs Şengün to finish his shots at the rim and playmake for the rest of the team. Durant has much more space to isolate on the perimeter or use Şengün screens when teams can't afford to double-team. Şengün's ability to make decisions while rolling to the basket is one of his most consistent traits, and it relieves the pressure from the ball handlers when they can lean on Şengün in the pick-and-roll.

Houston's postseason hopes rely on Şengün's performance. Last year's playoffs required high quality play from Şengün to stay in games. He wasn't able to deliver every time at the end of games, but the Rockets added Durant to take over in the clutch when the Rockets need a basket at the most critical moments.

Without Fred VanVleet in this postseason, Houston may struggle getting enough perimeter ball handling to help get Şengün the ball in the post in areas he can do some damage. When he's playing at a high level, the Rockets are hard to stop offensively, especially because of his playmaking ability for his teammates. He must return to his level of play to start the season to give the Rockets a chance at contending in the postseason.