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Alperen Sengun has looked like a much better player in his second year in the league. The Houston Rockets center has begun to show flashes of the potential that made him the 16th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The 6-10 Turkish-born Sengun, who turned 20 years old this past summer, recently became the youngest center in the history of the NBA to reach 1000 career points and 200 career assists.
One important distinction to note is that most of the dominant centers throughout the history of the NBA entered the league at an older age than Alperen Sengun. Nonetheless, being the youngest player to achieve any accomplishment in basketball is impressive.
Through his first 93 career games, Sengun has averaged 10.8 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists per game, 0.8 steals per game, and 0.9 blocks per game in 22.1 minutes per game. The Houston Rockets center has shot 49.8% from the field, 23.9% from three-point range, and 73.3% from the free-throw line.
In 21 games this season, 18 of which he has started, Sengun has improved tremendously. He is currently averaging 14.9 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game, 0.8 steals per game, and 1.0 blocks per game in 26.7 minutes per game.
Furthermore, he is shooting 55.6% from the field and 79.1% from the free-throw line. Sengun, however, has struggled from behind the arc, shooting just 19.0%.
Nikola Jokic recently shared high praise for Alperen Sengun
Alperen Sengun revealed that he hopes to model his game after Nikola Jokic. The back-to-back NBA MVP recently heaped praise upon the second-year center.
After Sengun's Houston Rockets faced Jokic's Denver Nuggets, the four-time All-Star stated:
"I think he's really talented. Maybe it's gonna sound weird, but I think they need to play a little bit more through him. You know, because sometimes they look a little bit more stagnant with all the threes. The guy has the talent. He can pass the ball. He can post up. He has a touch around the rim. You can see some different moves when he's playing."
With such high praise from a player he idolized, Sengun should certainly be motivated to continue improving his game. While Jokic has since established himself as one of the best players in the NBA, Sengun's production in his second season has been similar to the two-time NBA MVP at the same stage of his career.
Watch back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic's full comments on Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun below:
Guess the Lakers players!
