Rockets' Alperen Sengun must make this improvement to earn All-NBA nod

Alperen Sengun was the first player to represent this iteration of the Houston Rockets in the All-Star game. In 2025-26, he should be aiming for an All-NBA appearance.

Yes, that's a lofty ambition. The All-NBA team represents the best of the best. Even if you make the Third Team, that's a tremendous accomplishment.

It's not one that's out of reach for Sengun. That's just how good the young big is:

Realistically, he almost made the cut last season.

Rockets almost had All-NBA player in Alperen Sengun

In fact, Sengun had the most total points in All-NBA voting (58) of any player to miss out on an All-NBA designation in 2024-25. Granted, he was far behind James Harden (68) in total points, but that's still notable.

It shouldn't be surprising. Sengun's 4.4 Box Plus/Minus (BPM) ranked 14th in the NBA. That doesn't necessarily validate him as a top 14 player in the NBA, but BPM is a solid measure. If you look at the rest of this list, it's largely populated with the league's best players.

Sengun wasn't an All-NBA caliber player last year, but he wasn't far off. Rockets fans should not forget that this kid is still just 23. Sengun has ample room to grow into All-NBA status for 2025-26:

What does he have to do to get there?

Rockets' Alperen Sengun has room to improve

Sengun's defensive growth in 2024-25 was well-documented - as was his offensive regression.

Let's start on a positive note. Ime Udoka was able to find a defensive role for Sengun that allowed him to thrive on that end. He plays closer to the level than a traditional rim protector. Sengun uses his quick hands and sharp instincts to hedge and recover, and it works.

Unfortunately, that defensive improvement seemed to come with setbacks on offense. His 54.5 True Shooting % (TS%) was a career-low. It pailed in comparison to the 59.9% mark he hit as a sophomore.

For Sengun to earn All-NBA consideration, he'll have to marry offensive efficiency with defensive impact. As a big man, he can't afford to be a defensive liability. Yet, as the Rockets' presumptive second option, he has to be more efficient on offense. Sengun doesn't have any room to slack on either end of the floor.

This is something Sengun has to do for the Rockets, period. The All-NBA selection would be a correlary. Sengun should be aiming to help the team as much as he can, and he needs to be a factor on both ends of the floor in order to do that:

But an All-NBA selection would be a lovely bonus.