The Rockets slightly rebuilt their roster after early exports in 2025 playoff exports. Houston traded Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks to the Suns in exchange for Kevin Durant.
Despite the Durant trade making headlines, other players on the roster have also been ignored. In the NBA version on ESPN Thursday, Kendrick Perkins mentioned Houston’s Alperen Sengun. He praised the 23-year-old center. The former player-turned analyst called Sengun the “top five in the NBA.”
Kendrick Perkins believes Alperen Sengun
Perkins says Wu’s high defensive ability makes him a top 5
“He is the top five in the NBA…not only because of the points, not only because of rebounds and assists, but actually he plays defense at a high level.”
– nbacentral (@thedunkcentral) September 11, 2025
In the 16th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Rockets chose the big man Alperen Sengun from Türkiye. In four seasons, Sengun has played 286 games and scored 224 games. He opened his career-high 76 games for Houston in 2024-25 and was named the first All-Star. Sengun averaged 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Recently, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins mentioned Sengun as the “top five in the NBA.”
Early in his career, Sengun was given the nickname “Baby Jokic”. That’s because he’s a big shot and can fill in statistics tables like Denver Nikola Jokic. Alepren Sengun compared early in his career, and there is good reason. Perkins specifically mentioned how to ignore Sengun as a defender. Additionally, he said Alperen Sengun could switch one step on defense.
DO-IT-ALL star pushes Türkiye to @eurobasket Semi-finals
Alperen Sengun @courtside1891Woolen cloth
– NBA (@NBA) September 11, 2025
This makes him a very versatile defender for the Rockets. If he continues to develop his own game, Sengun may one day have a league MVP like Nikola Jokic. In the regular season, Alperen Sengun is not only a factor, but he is one of the most stable players in the Houston playoffs. Sengun started all seven games with the Rockets in the 2025 playoffs.
He averaged 20.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Sengun’s scoring, rebounding and assists led the team into the playoffs in every game. Looking ahead, Aleperen Sengun will continue to be a key part of Houston franchise. Even if Kevin Durant calls it a profession, Sengun will still do his thing on the rockets. ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins said the Young Center has so much potential as one of the NBA’s biggest big shots. Houston opens its 2025-26 season with OKC Thunder on October 21 at 7:30 pm.
