Alperen Sengun improvements holding up are key to Rockets making playoff run

The NBA playoffs are a test. Here's hoping the Houston Rockets have studied hard.

Yes, this team was wildly successful during the 2024-25 season. The Rockets shattered expectations. However, the postseason is a different beast. This will be a challenge for a young Rockets team with flaws.

All the positive trends that led to a 52-win regular season will have to hold. The Rockets need to continue to do everything that's brought them such tremendous success.

Some suggest that it starts with Alperen Sengun.

Rockets' star big has made major strides

Much has been made of Sengun's defensive improvement during the 2024-25 season. Rightfully so.

Advanced metrics don't accurately reflect the improvement. Sengun's Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM) of 1.8 barely eclipses last year's mark of 1.7. If anything, the stat suggests he made the leap last year - as a sophomore, Sengun's 0.4 DBPM was pedestrian.

The eye test says differently. Sengun is more active than ever at the level. His feet remain slow, but his hands - and instincts - are quick. Sengun still isn't an elite rim protector, but he has improved there. More significantly, his ability to survive in space allows Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson to protect the rim from the weak side.

Moreover, Sengun's defensive rebounding is a meaningful factor. He secures the ball for the Rockets. It's an underrated component of defense, but it's vitally important. So, Sengun has managed to be a positive defender in 2024-25.

Can that hold in the playoffs?

Rockets need star big man's improvement to hold

It's been a question surrounding Sengun for years. Is this a viable postseason player?

Let's not mince words. We've seen plodding big men get played off plenty of NBA floors in the playoffs. Sengun may struggle against any team rostering an elite guard. He may be a target in the pick-and-roll.

Although...

It's also possible that Sengun's feet aren't as slow as they once seemed. There could be an element of bias at play here. Sengun resembles big men that have struggled in the playoffs, but could Domantas Sabonis thrive at the level in Ime Udoka's scheme? Is Sengun a more versatile defender than he's been given credit for?

This is a big test for the young Rockets' star. If critics can point to a lost series and say his inability to defend was a major culprit, it will be a discussion point all summer. Hopefully, he can establish that his 2024-25 success was no fluke:

To do that, he'll have to be prepared.