Rockets have a championship blueprint for Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun

The Houston Rockets are coming off their second straight playoff appearance. They have built a winning team around two 23-year-old stars: Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun.

As impressive as those two have been to start their careers, questions remain about their long-term fit together. However, recent NBA history offers a blueprint for how Houston can build a championship-level team around its budding stars.

Can Houston build around both Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun?

If the ultimate goal for the Rockets is to win a championship, and it should be, it is worth looking at recent NBA history to see whether similar teams have succeeded.

Sengun's unique playstyle makes finding comparisons difficult, but the 2023 Denver Nuggets offer a reasonable blueprint. That championship team was built around Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon.

Sengun has often drawn comparisons to Jokic because of his rare combination of size and playmaking. Like Jokic, he is an offensive hub capable of creating opportunities for everyone around him. However, Jokic remains in a tier of his own as both a scorer and playmaker, and he has developed into an average defender over the years. Sengun still has work to do before reaching that level.

Thompson, meanwhile, could fill a role similar to Aaron Gordon's. This comparison should actually encourage Rockets fans. Thompson is already an elite defender and has reached levels even Gordon hasn't matched. Given his current trajectory, he is also likely to become the more dynamic offensive player.

The biggest piece Houston is still missing is someone to fill the Jamal Murray role. Every championship contender needs a player who can consistently create offense with the ball in his hands during the biggest moments. There would also be far fewer questions about the Sengun-Thompson pairing if Houston had an elite shooter and late-game shot creator.  

Final verdict

The Rockets have already accomplished the hardest part of any rebuild by finding two legitimate young stars. Sengun and Thompson have flaws, but they also have unique talents. While the comparison is far from perfect, the 2023 Nuggets provide a useful blueprint for how Houston can maximize its core.

Both players will need to continue developing, but if Rafael Stone and the Rockets' front office can eventually find a true late-game offensive creator, that could be the final piece needed to turn the Sengun-Thompson core into an NBA champion. 

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