After dominating prized rookie Victor Wembanyama in a head-to-head matchup earlier this week, third-year Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun is drawing more national attention.
That included a mention on ESPN’s storied Pardon the Interruption (PTI) show, which aired Wednesday just prior to Houston’s nationally televised game versus the Los Angeles Clippers. Though the Rockets lost that game, Sengun had another extremely strong night with a triple-double (23 points, 19 rebounds, and 14 assists).
One of PTI’s hosts, Tony Kornheiser, asked whether Sengun should be considered in the same class as top Western Conference big-man prospects like Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs and Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Wilbon responded:
Yes. He’s the same age, although it’s his third year in the league.
He’s damn good. He might be the Most Improved Player of the league. He’s worth watching. In a few years, he could be on the same trajectory as Joker [Nikola Jokic, two-time NBA MVP with the Denver Nuggets]. He’s really, really good.
The complete segment can be viewed below. In his opening comments, Kornheiser correctly points out that Sengun outscored Wembanyama by a staggering 30-0 margin in the second half.
ESPN's Mike Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) with high praise for Alperen Şengün
"Yes [he deserves to be in the same conversation as Chet and Wemby] … He's damn good. He might be the MIP … He's worth watching … He could be on the same trajectory as Joker" #Rockets pic.twitter.com/uGeUNjFRLO
— 28🐐 (@iamsohappy28) March 7, 2024
Just 21 years old, Sengun is averaging career-highs in points (21.3 per game), rebounds (9.4), assists (5.0), and steals (1.2) this season.
The Turkish center has led Houston in scoring and rebounding while increasingly becoming the focal point of Ime Udoka’s offense.
Among frontcourt players in the West Sengun finished No. 5 in fan voting for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. With ample support from Turkish fans, that total led Wembanyama and Holmgren.
As a team, the Rockets are an improved 27-35 in the 2023-24 season, which is already well ahead of their records (20-62 and 22-60) in each of Sengun’s first two years with the franchise.
