Alperen Sengun has officially improved in area the Rockets needed most

The Houston Rockets are thrilled to see Alperen Sengun hitting threes. By now, it's safe to say he's made a massive leap in that area.

It's hard to believe, but we're roughly 1/8th of the way through the 2025-26 NBA season. It's getting to a point where the sample size is significant. Trends that started early in the season are now somewhat meaningful if they've held.

There's Sengun, going 2/3 from long range against the Wizards. That brings him up to 41.9% on the year on 3.1 attempts per game. That's impressive accuracy:

And by now, there's no reason to assume it's going anywhere.

Rockets' Alperen Sengun is officially a shooter

Granted, the efficiency may wane. That's fine. Nobody expected Sengun to be a 42% shooter heading into 2025-26. The bar was always much closer to 33%.

Sengun should easily clear that bar by the end of 2025-26. It's feeling increasingly safe to assume that the Rockets now have a stretch big man on their hands.

He's not an off-the-dribble threat. Sengun isn't hitting off-balance, contested jump shots. Put differently, he's not Kevin Durant. Still, Sengun is effective as a standstill three-point shooter. Given how much else he has in his game, that will suffice.

What does it mean for the Rockets?

Rockets need shooting wherever they can find it

It means the team has options. It means their primary playmaker is a three-level scorer now. So, it means a lot.

It could mean an easier transition to the point guard position for Amen Thompson, although Reed Sheppard has certainly arrived. Still, Sengun being a shooting threat will make it easier to run pick-and-spread sets featuring Thompson as a ball-handler. If nothing else, it'll make it easier for Thompson to function as a secondary ball-handler.

More broadly, it means the Rockets have added shooting via internal development. That's integral for this squad. Much has been made of the Rockets' NBA-best 42.8% three-point accuracy, but they still launch a league-lowest 29.3 attempts per game. Getting a few reliable attempts per game at the 5 is useful. If anything, the Rockets may like for Sengun to increase his volume.

More than anything, it means Sengun is continuing to develop. He entered last season as a poor defender and non-shooter. Last year, he focused on improving his defense. It's clear that heading into 2025-26, he emphasized improved shooting.

Rest assured, the Rockets are thrilled.