I am afraid to write about Alperen Sengun.
This is not an appeal for sympathy. These are certainly not the worst problems I’ve encountered in my life. But, I will say that I have received literal death threats for observing that Alperen Sengun does not play defense very well.
If the internet is a cesspool, that points to broader issues with human nature. Is the internet a place where the confidence of anonymity emboldens people, or is that just a consequence of them taking their masks off?
Ugh.
Anyway, writing about the Houston Rockets necessitates writing about Alperen Sengun. Writing about Alperen Sengun, if you intend on preserving journalistic integrity, requires the occasional use of a critical lens. So here comes a piece that’s critical of Alperen Sengun.
Please don’t (threaten to) shoot the messenger.
Rockets’ best lineup does not feature their best young player
Per CleaningTheGlass, he’s not part of the Rockets’ best 2025-26 lineup.
That would be Clint Capela, Dorian Finney-Smith (yes, that Dorian Finney-Smith), Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, and Reed Sheppard. That group is +38.4 in 154 possessions. That’s not a massive sample size, but it’s consequential enough to talk about.
So what’s going on here?
Let’s turn to the increasingly fashionable databallr. When Sengun and Sheppard share the floor, they’re +0.2 in 816 minutes. The Rockets shoot 35.1% from deep when they share the floor.
Remove Sengun, add Capela. The Rockets are +14.1 in 467 minutes. The team shoots 40.2% from deep. Hypothesis:
Sheppard plays better with a big man who does the big man stuff.
He shoots better when he’s on the floor with a big man who sets jarring screens. He’s easier to insulate on defense alongside a – here comes the dirtiest word in Rockets fandom – a rim protector.
It’s only a theory. It’s possible that, in more extended minutes, defenses would adjust their coverage. Capela’s total inability to do, well, much of anything other than dunk on the offensive end could prove problematic.
What’s the solution here?
Rockets need more grit from Alperen Sengun
This is not a trade Alperen Sengun piece. Or, at least, that’s not the only solution that will be presented.
It is an “Alperen Sengun needs to play differently” piece. As gifted as he is, he’s not quite prodigious enough to have the Luka Doncic mentality (and realistically, even Luka Doncic needs to change his mentality). He can’t absolve himself from the dirty work if this team is going to succeed.
Last year, Sengun made dramatic strides on defense. He improved so much that he forced me to eat crow. I praised him profusely in public. A wholesale mea culpa. Self-flagellation to the point of deep bruising.
Now, it feels like I’m eating crow again.
Sengun has regressed to “is this guy viable” levels on defense. He needs to get back to his 2024-25 level. If he can’t defend that well while conserving energy for a large offensive role, he’s not worth rostering. Luckily, he did it last year, and he should be able to do it again.
One thing he’s never done is properly screen for his guards. That needs to change. Functionally, the Rockets need Sengun to be basically Sabonis-with-defense. He should be leveraging his high basketball feel to operate as a dribble hand-off hub. His ability to score in isolation should be part of the Rockets’ package as well, but when it’s his primary role, it doesn’t do much to elevate his teammates.
Here’s a simple NBA principle: If you don’t complement your teammates, there is a threshold you need to meet for individual productivity. Sengun isn’t reaching that (exceedingly high) threshold, so he needs to complement his teammates. That means making their life easier on defense and screening for shooters. If he can’t do that, the Rockets may have to have some uncomfortable conversations.
Sorry.
