Rockets' Alperen Sengun will find his offensive touch

Player development is not always linear in the NBA. A player may grow in one area and regress in another. Houston Rockets fans should keep that in mind.

This roster is full of young talent. The Rockets are banking on internal development to build a homegrown contender. In 2024-25, no player defies linearity as much as Alperen Sengun.

Defensively, Sengun has taken a tremendous leap. Sengun has long been viewed as a potential liability on that end of the floor. This year, he's been above average. That's all the Rockets can ask from Sengun - defensively.

His offense has been a different story. Sengun has slightly regressed on the end of the floor where he'd previously earned his keep.

How is this happening?

Rockets' Sengun is missing his touch

Sengun makes hay in the paint. That's where he's most comfortable as a scorer. In 2024-25, he's shooting a lower percentage near the basket than ever.

Alperen Sengun Field Goal % between 0-3 feet

2021-22: 67.1%

2022-23: 67.7%

2023-24: 69.0%

2024-25: 57.0%

This is easily the main culprit behind Sengun's offensive struggles in 2024-25. It's resulted in a career-low 53.8% True Shooting % (TS%). For all of Sengun's defensive improvement, he's having his least efficient offensive system in the NBA to date.

Should the Rockets be concerned?

Rockets' Sengun will be fine

Sengun surely didn't lose his touch. His ability to put the ball in the basket from the paint has been on display from the moment he came into the NBA.

Sure, development isn't linear. It's still rare to see such a well-established skill simply vanish. There are surely better explanations for Sengun's offensive regression.

It could be that teams have keyed in on Houston's offensive game plan. The Rockets are sixth in the NBA in pick-and-roll (roll man) frequency at 6.5%. They were third in the same category last year (7.3%). They've cut some pick-and-roll out of their diet, but it's still a staple.

Meanwhile, their 4.7% handoff frequency ranks 17th in the NBA. The Rockets need to continue retooling their offense to suit Sengun's strengths. It's easy for opposing defenses to converge on him in the pick-and-roll. Plays that put Sengun in a position to be the primary decision-maker should yield better results.

That said, it's also fair to say that the Rockets don't have an optimal roster around Sengun. There's not enough movement -or shooting- around him when he's in the paint. That's another reason why defenses can cover him however they please.

Yet, there's also likely a causal relationship between Sengun's defensive gains and his offensive losses. One man only has so much energy. Sengun needs to learn to balance his efforts on both ends of the floor. In time. he's likely to figure that out and develop into a two-way force.

It just may not happen linearly.