Rockets rookie Alperen Sengun improves at defending without fouling

Rookie big man Alperen Sengun has a very high ceiling on offense, and he and the Houston Rockets are willing to put in the work for him to achieve it — as evidenced by his practice stints with Hakeem Olajuwon.

But for the 19-year-old to fully realize that potential and take advantage of his gifts in the post, he has to avoid foul trouble enough to stay on the floor. That was often a problem in the 35 games prior to Sengun’s Dec. 31 right ankle sprain, with an average of 3.1 fouls in only 18.4 minutes.

In six games since returning, however, Houston’s first-round pick (No. 16 overall) from the 2021 NBA draft is averaging just 1.2 fouls in 15.6 minutes — and he has not exceeded 2 fouls in any game. If sustained, that could put Sengun on a path toward earning more minutes, particularly if veteran players are dealt away by the Feb. 10 trade deadline.

“I think he’s starting to learn better positioning,” said head coach Stephen Silas. “I think he’s starting to learn, frankly, not reaching all the time. There are times where he can go and try to reach, and other times where he has to keep his hands back, and I think he’s starting to learn that.”

However, Silas cautions that there’s a delicate balance. Sengun’s steals per game have dropped from 0.9 prior to the injury to 0.3 since, and the Rockets would like him to still force turnovers, when possible.

“He’s typically in the right spot, but it’s the hand action that he is staying away from a little bit, which is a double-edged sword,” Silas noted.

“I want him to be aggressive, and I want him to hopefully cause some turnovers for us, so we can run out… but I definitely don’t want him to be in foul trouble,” Silas says of Sengun, who is averaging 8.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 18.0 minutes over the 2021-22 season.

Sengun and the Rockets will have their next opportunity to continue that type of on-court development when Golden State visits Toyota Center on Monday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CST.