Though he isn’t quite as high on his position list as fellow third-year prospect Jalen Green (No. 11 among shooting guards), Houston Rockets big man Alperen Sengun is still visible on HoopsHype’s rankings of top centers for the 2023-24 NBA season.
Sengun checks in at No. 13 on the list, one spot ahead of Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren but just behind Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez.
Buy Rockets TicketsThe 24-person list was decided by a vote of HoopsHype’s panel of writers and editors.
As for Sengun, here’s Frank Urbina’s explanation:
A center who could take a huge leap heading into next season, which we fully expect to happen considering his place in this ranking, is Houston Rockets big man Alperen Sengun. Sengun heads into his third NBA season with a lot of momentum, coming off a nice year in 2022-23 and following that up with a great showing playing for Turkey in international competition this summer.
Sengun is a player both the analytics and the eye test are quite high on — as VORP, BPM and WS/48 all already had him as a Top 90 player in the NBA last season (he was 53rd in BPM) while he also boasts a very aesthetically pleasing game.
Sengun has crafty throwback post-up moves, can shoot jumpers and is a creative passer, performing very much in the mold of the player coming up at No. 1 on this list. Under first-year year head coach Ime Udoka in Houston, we expect a big leap out of Sengun in 2023-24.
Interestingly enough, in a move that would have likely sent Sengun to a bench role, the Rockets attempted to sign Lopez this offseason. It didn’t work out, and the 21-year-old center from Turkey now has a greater opportunity once training camp begins on Oct. 3.
Sengun averaged 14.8 points (55.3% FG, 33.3% on 3-pointers), 9.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 28.9 minutes last season.
Ranking: The Top 24 centers for the 2023-24 season https://t.co/67w4z7wGlM #Basketball #BasketFeed #NBA #basketballgame #games #boysbasketball
— BasketFeed (@BasketFeed) September 29, 2023
