As a talented European big man, Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun has drawn a few wishful comparisons during his first two NBA seasons to back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets. After his rookie season, Sengun referred to Denver’s big man as an idol.
For at least one night, though, the student became the teacher. In Tuesday’s shocking blowout win against the first-place Nuggets, the 20-year-old Turkish prospect had 20 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals on 7-of-14 shooting (50.0% FG).
Meanwhile, Jokic (14 points, 10 rebounds) was forced into eight turnovers in 25 minutes as the Rockets (20-60) pulled away late for a feel-good victory over the Nuggets (53-26). It was Houston’s final home game of the 2022-23 season.
“I thought Alpi had the best defensive game of his career tonight,” Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said postgame of Sengun. “He did an amazing job. I was proud of him.”
“I just need to be focused,” Sengun told AT&T SportsNet Southwest’s Vanessa Richardson of his defense. “I understand that when I want to do defense, really hard, I can be good. It’s going to be a big year, next year. I’m going to do my best all the time.”
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