Alperen Şengün is ahead of schedule

Alperen Şengün becoming a good NBA player was evident from the beginning: literally from the beginning; he had 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals in just 18 minutes in his NBA debut. That immediate production was not a great surprise; Coming out of the 2021 draft, he was viewed primarily as a “high floor, low ceiling” prospect, meaning he likely wouldn’t achieve star status, but would likely be a positive NBA player with a productive career.

But quickly, it became clear that Şengün’s roof had to be reassessed. He surpassed the original label in his rookie season, rising to an “above-average NBA starter” in year two, then rising back to “borderline All-Star” year three If this seems like a quick ascent, that’s because it is a quick ascent. Şengün has improved in every major aspect of his game every season he has played. Now entering his fourth year, Şengün is on the precipice of true stardom — “carry a team himself” stardom — but the type of game he plays could make that final leap the hardest.

Don’t get it twisted though; if Şengün remains the same player for the rest of his career, he is still a very good player. History tells us it won’t stay with the same player, though.

Progress came quickly for Şengün; before anyone could blink, he was in the midst of MVP conversations (he would eventually finish third) with season splits of 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

You know in superhero movies when the kid with powers finally learns to harness his abilities and then goes crazy with it, doing flips in the air and stuff just to find out what exactly they can come up with? This has been the development of Alperen Şengün. According to himself, on The Old Man and the Three (RIP) podcast, his game in Turkey was limited; “When I was playing over there in Europe, I was just done in the paint. I didn’t have a half-point shot, I didn’t have a 3-point shot.”

Once he landed in Houston after the Rockets drafted him 16th overall, the one-dimensionality of his game faded away and a versatile, elegant big man emerged. He kept adding new moves, types of shots and passes to his arsenal just to see what would work; pretty much everything worked, and Şengün’s penchant for experimentation made him a nightmare to defend on the post (and recently, off the post as well). Those moves, which he flashed at times during his rookie and sophomore seasons, became staples of his game in his third year. Who knows what we’ll see in year four?

Many centers in the NBA can score. A good number of centers can pass. Few of them can consistently score and distribute the volume that Şengün did last season, and that ability to be a center around which an offense is built has already separated him from most of his peers, even in the 22 years He was fourth in scoring among qualified centers last year behind Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns and Victor Wembanyama. He was third behind only Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis in assists between centers.

In short, Şengün is already among a short list of NBA centers who are the focal point of their respective offenses. There was no better example of this than Sengun’s dominant outing against the Lakers when he scored 31 in a dominant win for the Rockets. His entire arsenal was on display, from free-throw line floaters to dunks and pick-and-rolls of wonder.

And if all the moves described in the last section sound familiar, you’re right; they sound like the aforementioned Nikola Jokic. “We play the same game,” Şengün told The Old Man and the Three (RIP) podcast, saying the comparison doesn’t bother him, while making it clear he wants to distance himself from the “Baby Jokic” label. “Tag the more time he spends in the league.

At this rate, it will. Şengün is becoming a force in his own right, creating his own identity in Houston with a Rockets team that continues to add young talent to surround its young center.

Subscribe to The WhiteboardFanSided’s daily email newsletter on all things basketball. If you like The Chalkboard, share it with a friend! If you don’t like The Whiteboard, share it with an enemy.

There are two clear areas of improvement for Şengün in year four; a more reliable outside shot, and a more consistent presence in defense. Şengün moves so well through a center that a defensive improvement is possible; he’ll never be a rim protector because of the under-the-basket part of his game, but his footwork is so advanced that he should be able to be at least an average defender against other bigs in the paint.

As for the 3-pointer, Şengün has shown his ability to make the occasional 3, but it’s mostly been an afterthought over his three seasons. For his career, he has shot 1.4 3s per game at 28.4 percent. He doesn’t need to become Karl-Anthony Towns, but possessing at least the threat of a 3-point shot adds more depth to his game. Look at Nikola Jokic; it will never be a high volume shooter, but it is good enough shooter who can still take defenders out of the paint at times.

As for the team, the Rockets should be right in the middle of the Western Conference playoff picture. They may not be in the category of contenders for Oklahoma City, Minnesota and Dallas, but they should finish in the category just below those teams, especially if Şengün continues to refine a game that has already been refined much more beyond his years.

Alperen Şengün was ranked No. 12 in FanSided’s 2024-25 25-under-25 rankings, ranking the best young players in the NBA. Check out the rest of the list here