Rockets' Alperen Sengun needs to keep himself on the floor

The Houston Rockets shocked the world by handing out two extensions this summer.

They were expected to hold out on making decisions about Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun. Green hadn't been consistent enough to pay. Sengun had, but the Rockets were expected to preserve his modest cap hold next summer. Ultimately, they'd opt to extend them both.

Green's extension didn't qualify as a vote of confidence. He received a short-term three-year deal, with a player option in the third year. Rumors immediately spread that the Rockets designed this deal to make it easy to move.

By contrast, Sengun signed a long-term deal. It was generally regarded as a bargain.

So far, it's looked like Green cut the Rockets a deal.

Rockets' Sengun is not earning his keep

Let's start with some basic numbers.

Sengun is averaging 14.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game with a True Shooting percentage (TS%) of 46.1%. The rebounding is encouraging, but otherwise, all of those marks fall short of expectations.

Perhaps most troublingly, head coach Ime Udoka has opted to bench Sengun down the stretch of two consecutive games. That was fine when Sengun was on a rookie deal. Now that he's one of the team's highest-paid players, he needs to be on the floor when the game is on the line.

What's keeping him off the floor?

Rockets need more from Sengun on both ends

Why not go directly to the source?

This feels like coded language on some level. Sengun was falling apart on the defensive end of the floor. Yet, there's some truth in Udoka's words as well.

They point to overarching concerns about Sengun's fit with the rest of this roster. Between Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, and Tari Eason, these Rockets were built to run. Sengun was built to set up in the halfcourt.

Yet, there's a way for Sengun to incorporate himself into a transition-heavy attack. Those 3.5 assists per game are pedestrian for a player with his passing acumen. Sengun is making 39.0 passes per game so far in 2024-25. For reference, Green is making 37.7 passes per game, and Fred VanVleet is slinging 63.3.

Green's job is to score, and he's doing it prolifically so far. A better offensive system would see Sengun throwing more passes. That's how he'd thrive in transition as well. When Sengun grabs a board, he should be looking to push the rock forward. With his floor vision, he should be able to pick up a couple of extra assists every night from outlet passes.

That still only scratches the surface of this issue. Sengun has often appeared to struggle with his conditioning throughout his career. His defensive effort has improved in 2024-25, and that's great, but it seems to come at the expense of his offense. Sengun will never be mistaken for Rudy Gobert - if he's not contributing offensively, there will seldom be reason for him to see the court.

Yet, the Rockets are paying him too much to keep him on the bench.