Rockets' Alperen Sengun has taken a massive defensive leap

Houston Rockets fans have known that Alperen Sengun was talented from day one.

It was never in question. Sengun came into the NBA with dazzling passes and a bevy of post moves. The former Turkish league MVP already knew how to play.

He did not know how to defend.

For some Rockets fans, that's been a long-standing worry. Is it possible to win at the highest level with a sieve in the middle? If Sengun was easily exploited on defense, did his offensive exploits matter?

Perhaps Sengun hasn't put those fears to rest, but he has soothed them. In 2024-25, he's defending well - by any measure.

Rockets' Sengun has made a defensive leap

Partial credit goes to Ime Udoka. Sengun struggled early in his career playing drop coverage. So, Udoka took him out of drop.

Now, he's defending at the level. Sengun almost functions as a roamer defensively. That allows him to use his quick hands and high feel for the game to disrupt driving lanes and trap effectively.

Only, he's also defending the rim now. Sengun is blocking an acceptable 1.5 shots per game. More sophisticated measures of rim protection suggest that he's having a strong season as well.

A couple of caveats apply here. Firstly, this graphic is about two games old.

More importantly, this data shouldn't be taken as conclusive. No, Sengun is not a better rim protector than Anthony Davis. He has better weakside defenders around him which makes his job easier. There's also too small of a sample size here to draw definitive conclusions.

The data still counts. Sengun is doing a better job of protecting the rim than Jakob Poeltl. That matters. Sengun is protecting the rim, and he's surviving a scheme that frequently has him in space.

Throughout 2024-25, he's been an at least average defender. Frankly, he's likely been above average. Sengun's Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM) of 2.7 suggests that he's above average at least.

Again, DBPM is not the be-all, end-all. In this case, the stats match the eye test. Sengun is defending well.

Can that hold in the playoffs?

Rockets' Sengun still has plenty to prove

Time will tell.

It's fair to maintain some skepticism. If you need to see it to believe it, that's fair.

It's also likely that some playoff team will try to target Sengun in the playoffs. Teams target Rudy Gobert in the playoffs. Bigs typically struggle to defend the perimeter. If your name isn't Bam Adebayo or Nicolas Claxton, a star guard is going to cross you over eventually.

The Rockets don't need Sengun to be an All-World defender. Go back to those rim protection stats. Sengun is not going to be a Wembanyama or Holmgren that holds opponents well under 50%.

That's why the Rockets need to hang onto defensive wings like Tari Eason and Amen Thompson. This team has the roster construction to build a playoff-viable defense as long as Sengun is competent.

In 2024-25, he's been more than that.