The Rockets are Wasting Alperen Sengun

Recently I have gotten into betting on NBA games. I don't want to toot my own horn, but I have been doing pretty well so far. Despite this, I of course have lost a handful of bets, and in the process a good amount of my winnings (haven't lost any actual money yet). Yesterday I placed and subsequently lost a bet, and the way I lost it got me thinking. I bet on Rocket's second year center Alperen Sengun to record at least 3 assists in their game against the Mavericks. He finished the game with only 1 assist, but it was the fact that he only played 17 minutes on the night that really grinds my gears. Because of this I went and did some research on how this season has been going for Sengun, and after doing that I am fairly certain that the Rockets are totally wasting his talent.

pc: USA Today Sports

First let's talk about just how good this kid is and how good he could be. This is a second year center averaging only 26 minutes per game, yet he is still averaging 14.4ppg, 8.5rpg, and 2.5asts on the year. He has very advanced foot work for being early in his career, and he has outside shooting potential. However, what makes him a true diamond in the rough is his vision. Sengun's vision and passing ability is top notch, and when the offense is allowed to be run through him he looks like the second coming of Jokic. In my personal opinion, Sengun is the second best prospect (behind Jalen Green) on this Rockets team, and yet they treat him like just another journeyman center that isn't worth playing legitimate starter minutes.

I saw something very odd in yesterday's game, something that lead me to write this blog. Second year center Usman Garuba got more minutes than Sengun. With that being the case you would assume that Garuba gives you something that Sengun doesn't, but that's just not the case. When looking further into it you see that the Rockets run a three center rotation which also includes below average big man Bruno Fernando. These three players get very similar minutes despite the fact that Sengun is head and shoulders better than Garuba and Fernando. It just makes no sense.

The only explanation I can think of is that since the Rockets are tanking they won't play Sengun more minutes. Even if this is the case, Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr, the other two best players on this team, play way more than Sengun does. They also get more opportunities within the offense when they play than Sengun does. In all honesty I just think Stephen Silas is an idiot. How can you see a big European center who's best attribute is their passing dominate your league and then when you have one of those guys you're scared to run some offense through him, it's absurd.

Here's what I think is going to happen. I think the Rockets are going to go all in on Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr and let Sengun waste away being the fourth or fifth option during his time in Houston. Then he's going to move on to a new team and he's going to blossom into an all-star. I don't think he has a Jokic-like ceiling, but I do think he has an all-NBA ceiling, and he's never going to see that come to fruition if Houston keeps using him the way that they are. Of course it would be nice to see him blossom into the player that he could become alongside young prospects like Green and Smith, but I highly doubt that happens if things continue how they are.

P.S. If you want more NBA betting content go follow me on Twitter @ThreewindEthan, I've been posting a ton on there lately. Gracias.