Rockets Star Alperen Sengun Ranked Just Behind Jokic, Wembanyama

While there is buzz that Amen Thompson could be the Houston Rockets’ next franchise star, Alperen Sengun has made a stronger case for carrying the torch. Last season, the two-time All-Star averaged 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists over 72 games.

HoopsHype recently released a list of the top 27 centers heading into the 2026-2027 season. Sengun is positioned at No. 4.

“Often called Baby Jokic early on in his career, Rockets big man Alperen Sengun is the second-best passing center in the league, possessing a great nose for hitting either teammates cutting to the basket or those spotting up for open looks from the outside… We’re going to bank on the team’s hiring of legendary shooting coach Chip Engelland this offseason as a potential sign that Sengun will finally improve his three-point stroke in 2026-27, hence why we ranked him as high as we did.”

Sengun is ranked behind only Karl-Anthony Towns, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama on HoopsHype’s list. This makes him the league’s second-highest-ranked center under 30 years old.

Wembanyama and Sengun — Mar 8, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) dribbles against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What To Fix

The traditional mold of an NBA center is to focus on being an interior force on offense and defense. As three-point shooting has become more prominent in the current era of the league, centers are adding deep-range accuracy to their arsenal.

As suggested, three-point shooting is an area of improvement for Sengun. The 25-year-old center has a career three-point percentage of 28.1% on 1.4 attempts per game.

For comparison, Jokic has a career three-point percentage of 36.2% on 3.2 attempts per game. These numbers have been sufficient enough for the eight-time All-Star to be a consistent presence in the MVP race.

Overall, Sengun provides exceptional production in a role that is hard to fill with a player of his archetype, having the court vision and passing of a floor general. A minor improvement to his shooting mechanics could justify an All-NBA selection in 2027.

From a broader point, the Rockets are coming off a 52-30 regular season record. With Sengun and Thompson both continuing to elevate their ceilings from year to year, as well as Kevin Durant still being one of the NBA’s elite scorers, there are high expectations for the franchise to make a strong impact within the Western Conference.

Rockets assistant coach Chip Engelland should help the team improve their shooting mechanics for next season. This is one of the various upsides heading into next season.

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