Rockets' Alperen Sengun proves how ill-conceived new NBA All-Star format is

Houston Rockets fans have been waiting for this moment. It's been three long, painful years.

All-Star weekend. It's been a break for Rockets fans for the last few years. This year, it was appointment viewing. The Rockets finally had a representative in the league's most significant exhibition game. Alperen Sengun was ready to perform on the big stage.

It wasn't only Rockets fans anticipating his All-Star debut. Fans around Turkey, Sengun's home country, stayed up until ungodly hours to watch their national hero. Anticipation was mounting:

The moment did not meet expectations.

Rockets' Alperen Sengun barely gets All-Star opportunity

Sengun was part of Charles Barkley's Global Stars team. They won their first contest against Kenny Smith's Young Stars team.

Sengun has 4 points and a rebound in 4 minutes.

Chuck's team squared off in the finals with Shaquille O'Neal's OGs. Surely Sengun would get more opportunity to compensate for his lack of minutes in the first game, right?

Wrong. Sengun didn't get on the floor.

We can blame Charles Barkley all night. Ultimately, his roster featured Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, and Karl-Anthony Towns. The way the game was conceptualized, with roster construction limited by each team's theme, kept Sengun off the floor.

That was one tiny problem with this year's All-Star format.

All-Star game is not just a flop for Rockets fans

A 15-minute tribute for an Inside the NBA crew that isn't retiring.

Endless advertisements. A musical performance that should have been done before the games started. A tournament format that had each game concluding as it began to get underway.

There was no shortage of flaws in the new All-Star game format. The NBA should turf it expeditiously. This did not work.

Beyond the agonizing viewing process, it did an injustice to a player like Sengun. Between the two tournament games, his team played roughly one-half of basketball. That means his opportunities to get on the floor were reduced by 50%.

Sure, Sengun wouldn't have been one of the highest-minute players in any iteration of the All-Star game. Still, if he hadn't been on a team that was almost full of centers in reduced time, he would have likely seen 10 minutes of action. That would have given him time to throw one flashy pass or execute one nifty post move. Sengun could have given his adoring fans one highlight moment.

At least the Rockets had an All-Star representative this year?