ALPEREN Sengun

Sengun's 2025-26 numbers set the bar for this season. He played 72 games, averaging 33.3 minutes, 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks, with 3.2 turnovers a night. He shot 51.9 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from three and 69.1 percent from the free-throw line, with a true shooting mark of 56.9 percent. His usage rate sat at 25.9 percent, and his plus-minus was 2.8. That production came while he was already with Houston, the same team he's with now at 24 years old, in his fifth season out of Besiktas. Those are the numbers Houston is building its offense around heading into 2026-27.

Last season's playoffs put Sengun through a grueling stretch, most of it against the Lakers. On April 18, he had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a loss. Three days later, on April 21, he put up 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, also in a loss. On April 24, he exploded for 33 points, 16 rebounds and six assists in 46.9 minutes. He followed with 19 points, six rebounds and two assists in a win on April 26, then 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in 43.4 minutes in another win on April 29. The series closed May 1 with 17 points, 11 rebounds and one assist in 37.6 minutes in a loss. Earlier in the playoffs, on April 10, he had 22 points, six rebounds and eight assists against Minnesota.

At 6-foot-11 and 271 pounds, Sengun is built to control a game from the elbow and the block, and last season's 25.9 usage rate shows how much Houston's offense runs through him. He's 24 years old and in his fifth season, still young for a player who already handles point-center duties — his 6.2 assists a game last season came with 8.9 rebounds, a rare combination for a center. The turnovers, 3.2 a night, come with the territory of a big man who creates as much as he scores. His three-point shooting, at 30.5 percent, is still a work in progress compared to his 51.9 percent mark inside the arc. Houston wants that playmaking package back at full strength early in 2026-27.

Sengun's name has come up twice this offseason in roundup pieces. On Sept. 26, Johnny Askounis included him in a Rockets notes piece alongside Thompson, Adams and Udoka. On Sept. 12, Matt Young did the same in a notes column covering Sengun, Stone, Sheppard and other offseason moves. Neither piece attached a specific rumor or trade proposal to his name — he's simply part of the roster context those writers were covering heading into the season. For now, there's no reported deal or demand tied to Sengun. He's locked in with Houston, listed on the roster at No. 28, and nothing in those notes points to him going anywhere.