Alperen Sengun has become a post up king, will the Rockets capitalize?

Alperen Sengun: The post up king

A long, long time ago, the NBA realm was dominated by the post up. Its reign was brought to an end by the 3-point revolution, or that’s how your dad, uncle, or grandfather tells it. The post up, much like the midrange jumper, is alive and well, even as teams work to maximize the efficiency of their shot charts. 

What has changed is who gets to take those shots. In the land before big data, everyone posted up, and everyone took midrange jumpers. Teams are now far more judicious over who gets those attempts, with only the best of the best at their craft getting the lion’s share of attempts. 

Alperen Sengun has been one of the best post up players in the NBA this season, and the Rockets are making sure he eats. Per NBA tracking data, Sengun is ninth in the NBA in post up attempts per game and fifth in frequency, and he’s rewarded the Rockets handsomely. His 1.32 points per possession is the third-best in the league and is the highest of any player garnering over two post ups per game. 

Just about every indicator paints Sengun as one of the game’s truly special post up artists. His turnover rate is incredibly low, his free throw frequency is high, and his field goal percentage is sterling. Sengun’s combination of volume and efficiency is simply elite, and the Rockets would be wise to crank the volume even higher.