While his season ended about a month early because of a March 10 ankle injury, the 2023-24 campaign was a massive breakthrough for third-year Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun.
On a per-game basis, the 21-year-old Turkish big man led Houston in scoring (21.1 points) and rebounds (9.3) while shooting 53.7%, a team-high among rotation players. With Sengun as an offensive focal point, the Rockets (41-41) improved by 19 wins from the previous season, which was the best year-on-year growth of any NBA team.
Sengun was a finalist for the league’s Most Improved Player award and drew heavy All-Star consideration earlier in the year.
With that in mind, there’s a lot to like as Houston’s starting center heads into the 2024 offseason and begins preparing for 2024-25. In a new Instagram post featuring highlights from his recently completed 2023-24 season, here’s what Sengun said about the future:
Next season, we’re turning motivation into domination. Get ready to witness greatness.
Sengun is a virtual lock to retain his starting role in 2024-25, though he will have a more proven backup in veteran Steven Adams.
Sengun is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, though there are a few financial factors that could incentivize the Rockets to wait on that until restricted free agency in the 2025 offseason.
