Alperen Şengün had a breakout performance last season. The then-21-year-old averaged career-highs in almost all of the major stats and established himself as one of the most skilled post players in the NBA. Teams felt the need to double-team Şengün because of his increasing productivity in the post.
As a result, the Houston Rockets big man was the third-most double-teamed player in the post in the league last year. That’s quite a surprising piece of information, considering the players Şengün finds himself in company with.
Even Houston’s head coach Ime Udoka was amazed by the brilliance of the Turkish star. The Rockets coach lauded his player in a recent remark.
“I think he’s the third most double-teamed person in the league, behind Embiid and Giannis,” Udoka said.
Udoka is a bit off. Sengun isn’t trailing Joel Embiid on the list. The 77% double-team stat of the Turkish star is a higher percentage than that of Embiid (70%) and several other big men, including Julius Randle and Anthony Davis.
Nikola Jokic (82%) and the Giannis Antetokounmpo (83%) are the only two players to be double-teamed in the post more.
[Spolane] Ime Udoka said Alperen Sengun was doubled teamed on 77 percent of his post ups last season: “I think he’s the third most double teamed person in the league, behind Embiid and Giannis,” Udoka said.
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It isn’t surprising to see that Sengun got double-teamed in 289 out of 376 of his post-ups. He contributed to his team’s offense significantly last year in the post.
Even though Houston didn’t qualify for the playoffs, Sengun led the team in scoring and rebounds. That’s also a reason why he was doubled so much.
The youngster knocked down 57.4% of his shots from the post. An excellent combination of footwork and great finishing at the rim allowed him to contribute massively in post plays in the 21.1 points he averaged last season. The 6ft 11” player also got his teammates more involved when he had the rock in the post.
Most of his 5 assists he averaged per game came inside the paint, finding the open man. By being a threat inside, Sengun would open up the perimeter for uncontested shots.
Fans can expect to see the Rockets big man being double-teamed even more next season as the Texan side look to improve their record.
Udoka revealed that the 22-year-old has improved his physicality to deal with the challenge. “He had a really good summer. He’s gotten himself into tremendous shape,” he told reports in a press conference.
This improved physicality should allow Sengun to elevate his game to an All-Star level. But Houston’s prospects still look bleak in a stacked West.
