The Houston Rockets showed a bit of promise last season and this year, it looks like they are ready to take the leap.
The Rockets finished 11th in the Western Conference in ‘23-’24 with a 41-41 record, missing the play-in tournament by just one spot. They came on strong late in the campaign, including a 13-2 record in March 2024 that earned head coach Ime Udoka the Western Conference Coach of the Month award.
This season, Houston has built on their momentum to exceed most people’s expectations with the remarkable leap forward that they have taken. The Rockets have burst out of the gates with a 25-12 record, good for second place in the ever-competitive Western Conference.
Houston did not make any major offseason moves, but another year together for this core group under Udoka has clearly done them wonders. Alperen Sengun has been at the center of it all for the Rockets–literally and figuratively–averaging 19.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, five assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks. His scoring numbers are down slightly this year, though that has more to do with the emergence of his teammates such as Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. more than anything.
The 22-year-old Sengun has been as dependable as they could come for Houston, scoring in double figures in all but one of his 37 appearances so far. He is on track to exceed his 29 double-doubles last season by the end of this month as he already has 24 this season. Houston’s starting center has also put up three triple-doubles this year, bringing up his career total to seven.
The consistency of Sengun has pushed him into the discussion for this season’s NBA All-Star game and it is difficult to imagine a scenario where he gets left off. He is currently sixth in the West’s front court voting where the top three are name starters, yet he should be a lock for one of the reserve spots given his contributions on the Western Conference’s second best team.
Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James should lock up the three West frontcourt starting spots while Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis are likely to be named to the first two frontcourt bench spots. This leaves one more frontcourt opening and two wild card berths at the most for Sengun and Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies to make the team and both are highly deserving.
The rise of Sengun and these upstart Rockets has been one of the most intriguing stories of this season so far and it will be fascinating to see how it will play out over the next few months. If they can keep this up and lock up the second seed come the end of the regular season, they should be regarded as a dark horse contender at the very least for the NBA title.
Realistically, this team is still a few pieces away from contention, though this Houston team has made a habit of defying expectations. Nonetheless, the future is bright for these Rockets and the horizon looks extremely promising for this franchise with Sengun leading the charge.
