Alperen Sengun's marquee moment proves one massive Rockets realization

In 2022-23, Alperen Sengun broke out as a star for the Houston Rockets.

It was irrefutable. Sengun racked up stats on a nightly basis. He led the team to the highest win-total increase in the NBA. He was a star player by any measure.

Yet, any longtime NBA fan knows that there are different types of stars. Some stars lead teams to regular season wins only to disappear in the postseason. Then, some stars elevate their games. Throughout Sengun's career, there have been concerns about his playoff viability.

In Wednesday's NBA Cup game, he alleviated some of those concerns.

Rockets' Sengun steps up in playoff environment

Is the tournament the playoffs? No. Do tournament games have a heightened sense of significance?

Unequivocally. Nobody could have watched this Rockets/Warriors game without concluding that both teams cared more than usual. There was something tangible on the line.

The Rockets won it. Sengun was the driving force behind the win. He had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. He was 10/18 from the field. It was a signature performance for a budding star.

Yet, nobody has ever worried about Sengun's ability to stuff the stat sheet. The concerns have centered around his defense.

Did he show up against the Warriors?

Rockets' Sengun will be fine in the playoffs

Frankly, not entirely.

The Warriors hunted Sengun with off-ball screening. There were occasions when he wasn't able to recover to defend threes on switches. They made his life difficult. Rockets fans should not be concerned, and here's why:

Every big struggles against the Warriors.

This team's system was designed to wreak havoc on all but a small handful of NBA big men. The number of switchable bigs who can effectively guard Steph Curry is so small that it's insignificant.

The more pressing concerns about Sengun's defense were about his ability to contain the pick-and-roll. He's done a much better job of that in 2024-25. It's a set that's far more common than anything the Warriors run. They're one of the most idiosyncratic teams in the league, and if anything, Sengun did better than average in contesting their barrage of triples last night.

It's true that down the stretch, Ime Udoka opted for Jabari Smith Jr. at the 5 - for a while. When he needed a bucket, he put Sengun back in the game. He delivered, generating an easy layup against Kevon Looney. When the postseason comes, players who can reliably generate from-scratch offense are invaluable. The Rockets have one in Alperen Sengun.

He's a star by any measure.