HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- With a little less than three minutes left in regulation on Monday night, Rockets head coach Stephen Silas summoned Alperen Sengun from the bench.
Saddled with five fouls, the Rockets center had only played 23 minutes up to that point in what was a tight game between the Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers. Sengun still fouled out of the Rockets double overtime win, but he managed to avoid that sixth foul for close to 12 minutes showing how much he’s progressed over the course of his second NBA season.
“He was really conscious of it,” Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said. “For young guys, this is really hard. “When you have five fouls, usually you get less aggressive, and you're trying to like move out of the way or you’re not trying to get that sixth foul, and he was very aggressive. He was bumping and holding and as penetration came, he was getting to his verticality and just playing. that says a lot about him and where he can be defensively.”
Sengun is still foul prone, only 16 players have committed more fouls this season, but he’s cut down on his so far during his sophomore campaign. Sengun was whistled for 5.2 fouls per 36 minutes as a rookie, this season that number is down to 4.7. Silas attributes the decline to Sengun's improvement as a defender.
“His technique is better, for sure, and a lot of defense is being able to anticipate what's coming, and in your first year it’s really hard to anticipate what’s coming. With more experienced, you're able to anticipate a little bit better, you're able to be one step earlier, you're able to know that somebody's gonna rake under your arms and try to draw a foul that way.”
Sengun can only impact the game if he’s playing, but that can’t happen if he’s fouling too much. He knows opposing teams are going to target him at the defensive end of the floor, so that’s the part of his game he is continuing work on.
“I'm trying my best,” Sengun said. “Sometimes they call fouls. Of course, I’m getting mad. In overtime (against the Sixers) I was trying to do my best and keep my hands up because I know it’s going to be important.”
Playing against Joel Embiid and James Harden, two of the NBA’s best at drawing fouls, Sengun committed his first infraction within the game’s first 62 seconds and his second in just a little over his fourth minute, but the 20-year old found a way to remain on the floor when his team needed him most.
“I was focused more with my hands, and I think I did a good job.”