HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- As he walked into Toyota Center on Wednesday night, Alperen Sengun was more excited than usual. He was about to face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for the final time this season, and with Christian Wood out of commission due to an illness he knew this was going to be a big opportunity.
"I was really excited before the game because I knew I was going to play against (James), I'm going to match up with him," Sengun said through a translator. "All these years I watched, since I was a kid."
The 16th selection of July's draft came through with the best game of what has been a brilliant rookie campaign against the Lakers, finishing with a season-high 21 points and matching his season-high 14 rebounds, but his defense really stood out against a team that elected not to play a center.
"On the defensive end he was guarding Carmelo (Anthony) and Stanley Johnson, whoever else, and he made some good plays," Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said.
Offensively, Sengun used his size to his advantage and punished the Lakers in the paint. His first eight field goals came from inside the restricted area, and he matched his season-high with seven post ups, per Synergy Sports. His final bucket of the night was a three from the right corner in overtime to put the game away.
"When teams are smaller, he can take advantage," Silas said. "He has the shoulders and he has the hips and he has the feet and soft touch to score in the paint."
For all the numbers he put up on Wednesday night, the one that might be most impressive is that he played 40 minutes, by far the most he's played in a game this season, and it showed how much he has learned this season.
"Last year, we were playing 40 minute games (in Turkey), so I was not playing that much," Sengun said. "This was the first for me (to play 40 minutes). I learned how to arrange my energy, how to control my energy, and I think I will use it in the future."
For some, the Rockets have been frustratingly careful with Sengun's minutes over the course of the season, for a variety of reasons. He plays the same position as Wood, they want to keep as fresh as they can through the 82-game grind, and he's had trouble avoiding fouls, but with Wood out, the Rockets needed Sengun to play big minutes, and he committed just four fouls in his 40 minutes. Silas believes this might be his biggest area of improvement this season.
"Tonight, he kept his hands back when he was in help. He closed out correct technique and did a good job of staying out of foul trouble because I was afraid of that tonight."
Could Sengun have played a game like Wednesday a month ago?
"Probably not," Silas said. "That's big-time growth from him."
