By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Following a losing effort for the Houston Rockets opposite the Charlotte Hornets in Toyota Center, Alperen Sengun promised reactions both individually and as a team.
“It is definitely disappointing for us. We got to play better. We know we are better. We showed it all year. And we just had two struggling games. And I think we will be OK next game. Everybody knows what it is. We just got to wake up, come back, and play harder,” the Turkish center explained in a postgame press conference on Thursday, referring to back-to-back home defeats from the Hornets to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
In these two showings, 23-year-old Sengun averaged 10.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 1.0 steals per contest.
“I’ve got to do a better job. We have three games left. It’s just like I said. It starts with me. I just got to give my everything and help the team out,” he said, focusing on the next through team outings before the All-Star break, starting from the Oklahoma City Thunder in Paycom Center on Saturday, and moving to the Los Angeles Clippers in Toyota Center on Tuesday and Wednesday.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander expected to be sidelined through the break, Sengun is among the candidates to replace him in the annual NBA All-Star Game.
“Yeah, of course,” he accepted a possible call from the league. “We cannot decline any invite like that. But we’ll see what it is, and we’ll go from there.”
With the Rockets falling to 31-19 in the 2025-26 Regular Season, the battle for the highest possible seed in the Western Conference remains a priority for the Giresun native.
“I know I can guard, but sometimes I don’t put the effort in there. I cannot let anything else affect me. I just got to play harder,” he rejected any sort of distractions.
“I think when I do play hard, that affects everybody. And before everyone, I got to look in the mirror and come back every night, and play like an All-Star. Play like our best player on the court. That’s how I got to play,” he added.
Sengun also reflected on how Fred VanVleet helped the Rockets through adversity last season, before suffering a torn right ACL and being expected to sit out the entire season.
“The difference is Fred,” he compared situations between the previous and current seasons. “Last year, we were struggling at some point. Fred settled us down and talked to us.”
Over 43 appearances this season, Sengun has averaged 16.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game.