Alperen Sengun is widely considered the face of the Houston Rockets franchise after he became the first All-Star to play for them since James Harden. Following Jalen Green’s trade to the Suns for Kevin Durant, it became even clearer that Sengun is their franchise cornerstone for the long-term future.
In a recent interview, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone spoke about why they traded for Sengun on the 2021 NBA Draft night. He recalled that the Rockets’ front office saw something special in him and compared him to the likes of Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic.
“We definitely saw it,” said Stone about seeing Sengun as a special player.
“We traded two first-round picks to get him, so we wouldn’t have done that if we didn’t see somebody who could be this type of impactful player. Alperen, he was was the MVP of that league at 18. The only two people who had comparable success in top-tier leagues are Jokic and Luka. So I thought that was a good indicator and just watched the film, like he just does special stuff.”
Sengun became an All-Star for the first time during the 2024-25 season. He averaged 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game this year. The Rockets essentially got Sengun for nothing as they gave up heavily protected first-round picks to the Thunder, which are yet to be conveyed to them.
Just like Doncic won an MVP award at age 18 in Spain, Sengun won the MVP of the Turkish league at the same age. While the comparison to Doncic is purely in terms of player success and not style of play, Sengun has been hearing about the Jokic comparisons ever since he was drafted to the NBA.
He addressed it on the Old Man and the Three podcast back when JJ Redick was still the host. When Redick asked him in 2024 if the comparisons annoy him, he said that while they do not at first, once he grows up, he would like to build an identity of his own.
“I mean, no,” said Sengun when asked whether the tag annoys him. “Not for now. I am still young, but after some point, yeah. They mean like my game is similar to his [Nikola Jokic]. Is it true, though? We kind of play the same game.”
“When they were telling me the first time I came here, you know, it sounds better and better, but getting your space now in the NBA… Own your spot. Of course, when he’s going to retire or something, when he gets old, and I am gonna be at some age, I do not want people to call me ‘Baby Jokic.’ Right now, it’s fine. I’m like a baby. But when I grow up, I don’t wanna hear that.”
Jokic became the first center to ever average a triple-double in a regular season. His all-around impact on the floor, especially those reflected in the box score, gives people a glimpse of what Sengun’s potential could be.
I am not saying Sengun needs to average a triple-double in the season to live up to his potential. But increasing his usage on both ends of the floor, like becoming the primary playmaker like Jokic, will truly unlock the path for Sengun to reach his potential with the Rockets.
