Alperen Sengun becomes absolutely unstoppable if his hard offseason work pays off

Alperen Sengun has been a bright spot in the Houston Rockets' recent rebuild. If his hard offseason work pays off in a reliable three-point shot, he'll become unstoppable.

Sure, there are plenty of NBA players who'd elevate their game with a three-ball. The "if he just finds his three-pointer" club has become cliché. Sengun's own teammate, Amen Thompson, is a card-carrying member.

It feels different with Sengun. The rest of his offensive game is polished. He's got a soft touch (even if he seemingly lost it in 2024-25) and his form is reasonably pure. It feels realistic that he'd develop a three, and if he does, nothing is keeping him from being one of the best offensive players in the NBA.

It seems like that's his focus this offseason.

Rockets' Alperen Sengun is working hard

Sengun's offseason trainer, Djordje Sijan, says Sengun has been relentless this summer.

“Djordje, don’t plan anything this summer, we have a lot to do!"

-Djordje Sijan on Sengun's words this summer

That's music to our ears. What's more, Sijan says they've been largely working on his three-ball. After revolutionizing his defense ahead of 2024-25, that's the logical next step for Sengun. If he could shoot, he'd be unstoppable. Here's the question:

What should the bar for his three-point shooting be?

Rockets' Alperen Sengun needs a functional jumper

When it comes to the NBA, 3 is an angel number. If Sengun could hit roughly 33% of 3 three-point attempts per game, the Rockets would be in business.

(That's a lot of 3s).

Fans holding out for more might want to re-adjust their expectations. Nobody is going to be mistaking Sengun for Steph Curry (or, for Rockets diehards, Eric Gordon). He'll never be a top three-point shooter in terms of accuracy or volume.

The point is that if Sengun had a reliable jumper, he'd stretch out the defense. That would serve a handful of purposes. Firstly, it would expand Sengun's range of options. Defenses would have to check him on the perimeter, which would allow Houston to run more plays with him as a focal point.

It would also be extraordinarily helpful for Thompson. He's wildly unlikely to be a reliable shooter next year (if ever). If Sengun developed a jumper, the Rockets' starting lineup would be four-out. Thompson would be harder to contain on drives to the basket if opposing bigs were guarding Sengun on the perimeter.

So, Rockets fans should be encouraged by these reports. Sengun's trainer is suggesting that the young big man understands where he needs to improve. If that hard work pays off, the Rockets will be difficult to guard next:

And Sengun will be nearly impossible.