Alperen Sengun needs to prove doubters wrong for Rockets to have any chance

The Rockets started their playoffs on the wrong foot with a loss on Saturday night, and Alperen Sengun is a primary culprit. Sengun had an absolutely terrible game and was even outplayed by the Lakers' Deandre Ayton; safe to say Houston will need him to be much better. Sengun's weaknesses on both ends stood out as he struggled to score efficiently or stop the Lakers with his defense.

Alperen Sengun needs a major wake-up call

Sengun was unexpectedly thrust into a primary star role after Kevin Durant had to miss the game with a right knee injury. Sengun performed well in the regular season as a secondary option next to Durant, but he seemed unprepared for the rigors of being the first option in a playoff setting. While he did score 19 points, he shot just 6-of-19 from the field and contributed to Houston's overall offensive woes.

Against the Lakers, Sengun's weaknesses intersected in a bad way with the Rockets' major roster flaws. Without Durant, Sengun had a hard time getting the ball in advantageous positions in the post or off a pick-and-roll. The lack of spacing provided by other Rockets instead forced him to initiate his own offense from all the way out at the 3-point line, which led to many awkward drives where the defense closed in on him.

The loss of Durant to injury completely erased the offensive momentum that the Rockets had built in recent weeks, but Sengun himself needs to be better regardless. No matter how you slice it, there is no reason for an All-Star to get outplayed by Deandre Ayton, who finished the game with 19 points and 11 rebounds on 8-of-10 shooting. Many of those points can be directly attributed to Sengun's ineffectiveness guarding the pick-and-roll or protecting the paint.

The Rockets need to put Sengun in better positions to succeed

Sengun should inevitably bounce back from one of his worst games this season, but it won't happen by accident. Yes, he will likely shoot better on post shots next game regardless. However, the Rockets need to be diligent about getting him the ball in the right spots to ensure his success.

They may also want to look at rolling out more offensively-slanted lineups, considering how much the team as a whole struggled to score the ball in the second half. Houston finished the game shooting just 38% from the field and 33% from three. With percentages like that, there's no reason for the Lakers defense to give Sengun any openings when they can just help off of shooters with no repurcussions.

Hopefully, Sengun and the Rockets' coaches go back to the drawing board and turn things around for Game 2.

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