NBA - Main

When the Houston Rockets drafted Alperen Sengun, they were very concerned about how he would adjust to life in the NBA. Still only 19 years old, the Turkish teenager couldn’t speak any English.

As Houston’s coaching staff installed their playbook, Sengun couldn’t understand what they were saying, but somehow managed to not only learn all the plays and where everybody else was supposed to be, but also “through grunts and groans” command his teammates to break the play so he could hit them with flashy between-the-legs and behind-the-back passes.

VanVleet’s leadership mostly comes on the court, pointing out defensive assignments and instructing Sengun on where to be. The two developed near-instantaneous pick-and-roll chemistry: Only Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren hook up more times per game.

That youth foregrounds a charmed future. Sengun has grown at least an inch since last season and now officially stands 6-foot-11. He also spent five weeks learning how to optimize his body at P3, a sports science company in Santa Barbara, California. The experience was new, but Sengun made the most of his workouts, reinforcing his legs (to better hold up defensively in the paint) and becoming more explosive (for finishing at the rim).

Udoka won’t hesitate to curse Sengun out in a film session or pull him from a game to intone defensive habits. It’s a treatment Sengun craves. “I love tough coaches,” he says, smiling. “Sometimes I lose my [concentration]. I feel like when I’m working with coaches [who get] mad I think that makes me wake up. It’s good for me.” (“When I signed on, he said he wants to be coached hard, like he was in Europe,” Udoka chuckles. “And so I will oblige that and do what he’s asking.”)

Almost one year ago, after the Nuggets beat the Rockets in an early-season matchup, Jokic sat at a podium and was asked for his thoughts on Sengun. “I think he’s really talented,” the two-time MVP said. “Maybe this is going to sound weird, but I think they need to play a little bit more through him. Sometimes they look a little bit more stagnant, with all their 3s.”

“Jokic is like monster level,” Sengun says. “But I want to get [to] that level.”

According to Second Spectrum, Sengun has come off a league-most 20 wedge screens this season, almost twice as many as Jokic, who has the most in Second Spectrum’s entire database.

According to Second Spectrum, the Rockets generate a whopping 1.78 points per possession when Sengun posts up, which is first among all players who average at least two per game.