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Alperen Şengün Joins Elite Company Amid Rockets Loss to Knicks

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Rockets
By Coty M. Davis | Last updated 1/18/24

The Houston Rockets ended their six-game road trip in an embarrassing loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night inside Madison Square Garden.

Alperen Şengün had a subpar performance by finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. But amid his play against the Knicks, Şengün joined an elite company in franchise history.

He became the fifth player in team history to average at least 20.0 points and 9.0 rebounds through the first 40 games of the season — joining Yao Ming, Hakeem Olajuwon, Ralph Samspn and Christian Wood.

Olajuwon achieved the feat 13 times during his Hall of Fame career with the Rockets. His run began as a rookie during the 1984-85 season and lasted until the 1996-97 campaign.

"It is invaluable — a great luxury to have," Fred VanVleet said. "It is one of the reasons why we play at the level that we play at. It is a testament to his growth as a player and us learning how to play around that and kind of continue to grow as a team. Obviously, we are going to use him as much as we can, and it is a great luxury to have."

The 2023-24 season has been a career year for Şengün. He is currently averaging 21.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists while shooting 53.6 percent from the field. Şengün joins Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokić as the only players averaging at least 21.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists this season.

This article first appeared on FanNation Inside The Rockets and was syndicated with permission.

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