Alperen Sengun has surprisingly surpassed his most star-studded draft classmate

The Houston Rockets landed a superstar with the 16th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. By now, it's clear that Alperen Sengun should have been picked second at worst.

Fans should resist making conclusions based on one game. Yet, it was hard to ignore the optics during the Rockets' last win over the Cavaliers. Sengun finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. Mobley had 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 0 assists. With the Rockets winning by ten, it was a statement for Sengun.

But it's a statement he's been making all year.

Rockets' Alperen Sengun is a superstar

On the season, Sengun is averaging 23.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game with a 6.7 Box Plus/Minus (BPM). Mobley is averaging 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists with a 1.4 BPM. In this case, the advanced stat tells the story. There's a gulf between these two in BPM.

This is more of a compliment to Sengun than an insult to Mobley. He's very good. Mobley is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and he deserved the award. His defensive acumen was his calling card ahead of the draft.

Yet, the gap between this pair on offense is wider than the gap on defense. Sengun has made major strides on that end of the floor. He's solid now, and he's someone you can build the league's best offense around. The same could not be said for Mobley.

Cavaliers fans are possibly seething. What's the point of this comparison? Why are you obsessed with Mobley?

Well...

The Rockets saved their franchise in the 2021 draft

We can surely all agree that Sengun and Mobley are both far ahead of Jalen Green.

If you've got the memory of a goldfish, that's who the Rockets picked with the second overall pick in 2021. Most pundits favored Mobley, but the Rockets took a gamble on the scoring guard.

It didn't pay off.

Luckily, a mid-draft trade for a playmaking big from Turkey has paid dividends. It's easy for Rockets fans to close their eyes and imagine the Rockets took Sengun with the second pick. If they had, they'd have shocked the world:

And they'd have made the right decision.

It speaks to the complexity of the draft. Critics (present company included) worried about Sengun's defense at the NBA level. He's answered those questions. Now, he's got one peer in the 2021 class, and it's not Mobley:

Time will tell whether Sengun or Cade Cunningham proves to be the best player from this class.