Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Alperen Sengun had a career year for the Houston Rockets. Undderated, best footwork in the league, Baby Jokic, and All-Star snubs are all things said about the Houston Rockets' most improved player last season, Alperen Sengun. Despite his season-ending prematurely after a scary fall contesting a fastbreak at the end of the Rocket's win over the Sacramento Kings, Sengun showed that he was on the verge of stardom throughout this season. While I was at training camp before the season, one thing was apparent: Alperen Sengun had the best camp of any player there. Even with him missing the first two days due to an ankle injury, it didn't take him long to show his dominance during camp. Here is Sengun as he spoke with the media after his first full day of practice. I asked Alperen about his confidence shooting open 3s this season“I worked all summer and now my teammates telling my coaches telling me you need to shoot” pic.twitter.com/cenO7GQzKG— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) October 4, 2023 Even though his three-point percentage dropped to 30 percent this season, he didn't hesitate as much, and the shots from beyond the arch increased from under one a game in 2022-23 to almost two in 2023-24. Regular season Sengun picked up right where he left out to start the regular season. After a 14-point, 8-rebound game in a blowout loss to the Orlando Magic, a game where every Rocket struggled, Sengun gave us a glimpse of what was to come. He put up 25 and 14 in a close loss to Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs and didn't look back. Sengun was the best player on the team in the first half of the season as he helped Houston to a respectable 15-15 record by the end of 2023. Sengun played so well that he received serious consideration for his first-ever All-Star Game. It seemed that Ime Udoka's coaching was a big reason for his surge in play. I asked Sengun about his relationship with Udoka after a Rockets win in early January, and he spoke about the first time his family met Udoka. After the game I asked Alperen Sengun about Ime meeting his father yesterday for the first time
“He loves Ime because Ime has made me really good this year he helped me a lot he made me a better player”
Full interviews up soon pic.twitter.com/i9FXMD1BPr— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) January 7, 2024 It was obvious from day one that Coach Udoka and Sengun were the perfect match. Udoka is a no-nonsense coach, and Sengun said he wanted to be coached hard. Unfortunately, the Rockets would struggle with consistency at the turn of the new year, which affected the perception of Sengun as a possible All-Star. Sengun’s numbers didn't change much from January to March, but it was already going to be tough making the All-Star team with so much competition in the Western Conference. The Rockets did not win back-to-back games for almost two months as they struggled with injuries and inconsistent play. Sengun, however, continued to wow the NBA, and on March 5, he showed everyone he was on another level. In a win over the Spurs, Sengun destroyed the soon-to-be Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, going for a career-high 45 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 steals. It was the best game of his career and removed doubt about whether he could dominate against some of the best in the league.
After struggling for two months, the Rockets started to turn it around in March and went on a long winning streak that briefly put them back in the playoff hunt. Unfortunately, Sengun would not be in court to see the Rockets’ resurgence. Sengun’s injury 
On March 10, in a win over the Sacramento Kings, Sengun always hustled back on defense to prevent an easy layup after a Fred VanVleet turnover. Sengun went up for the block but came down awkwardly on his leg, and when he didn't get up immediately, everyone feared the worst. Sengun would eventually be taken out in a wheelchair, and a few days later, we found out it was a grade three ankle injury and a sprained knee. Most people believed he was done for the remainder of the season, and even though it was a slim glimmer of hope that he could make it back if the Rockets made the playoffs, he was ultimately ruled out toward the end of the year. Sengun would finish his breakout season averaging a career-high in points (21.1), rebounds (9.3), and steals (1.2). Despite going on a season-long 11-game winning streak, the Rockets did fall short of the play-in-game but finished with a 41-41 record, which was a 19-game improvement from the year before. Sengun will be ready for the start of training camp and has been shown working out nonstop since the injury. Alperen Sengun been putting in work all off seasonVia Sengun IG pic.twitter.com/XwI6GzRJ53— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) May 10, 2024 With another season under his belt and the Rockets looking to improve next season with an unexpected number three overall pick in the upcoming draft, everyone involved is expecting the team to make the playoffs. With these expectations and Sengun's willingness to do whatever it takes to win, he should be ready for his best season yet.
Source: https://www.thedreamshake.com/2024/5/16 ... ren-sengun