Alperen Sengun named Western Conference Player of the Week

A nice recognition for Alpie.

The NBA announced yesterday that Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun was named as the Western Conference Player of the week.

The Rockets had wins against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder this week, with Sengun averaging 21.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 9 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per game during Houston’s three victories.

The Rockets are also just a half game back of the Thunder for the top seed in the Western Conference, though it needs to be said that the west is really bunched together this year. The second-place Rockets only have a 3.5-game lead over the 10th seeded San Antonio Spurs. Houston needs to keep up with their solid play. Even a small slump could see them slipping far in the standings.

As for Sengun, so far he’s showing that he’s earning every penny of that five-year, $185 million extension he signed in the offseason and is the closest the Rockets have to a superstar. On the season, he’s averaging 18.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. The assists, blocks and rebound totals would represent career highs if they hold throughout the season.

He’s also gotten significantly better defensively, which was previously thought of as a weakness for the big man. He carries a 101 defensive rating along with a +3.3 defensive box plus-minus, which would again represent career best numbers (by far) if they hold through the year. His previous bests in both categories were a 111 defensive rating and a +1.7 defensive box, so the improvement so far has been clear.

Congrats to Sengun, who beat out other Western Conference nominees Devin Booker, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Isaiah Hartenstein, Quentin Grimes, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ja Morant, and Rockets teammate Fred VanVleet.

Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks grabbed the Eastern Conference award.