Olajuwon praises Sen’s defense.
Hall of Fame inductee Hakeem Olajuwon praised Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon in an interview with the Houston Chronicle on Monday.
The former Houston legend was one of the best centers in NBA history. Often referred to as one of the Big Four centers alongside Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson, and Patrick Ewing, 텍사스홀덤 Olajuwon won two championships with Houston.
Recently, a center has emerged in Houston that makes Olajuwon happy. Alpern Senghun, the 16th overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Turkuye.
After steadily improving since his rookie year, Sengun’s potential has definitely exploded this season. He’s averaging 21.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game, putting up All-Star big man numbers. In fact, he finished quite high in the recently concluded All-Star voting, increasing his chances of making the All-Star Game.
Sen’s style of play is similar to that of his role model, Nikola Jokic, and he’s very versatile. He can post up and has good vision for his teammates. He has over five assists per game. Olajuwon praised Senghun for these qualities.
“Alpern Sengun plays between power forward and center. He has adapted his game to fit any style. He likes to drive to the basket, and when he gets a post-up opportunity, he finishes both ways. She can also shoot the three-pointer. My passing is good when I have the ball on the top, and sometimes I try to drive in if the defense is overmatched.”
“Sen has a very complete game that can fit into any style. It’s perfect for our time and our era. I think he found the perfect balance between old school and new school. He has good footwork and movement, and he’s not afraid to try things.”
Houston’s current head coach, Ime Udoka, also had high praise for Senkun.
“From the first conversation I had with Senkun, I realized that he really wanted to be coached. My first conversation with him was that he wanted to be great, and he grew. He made a huge leap right away in training camp and has been improving throughout the season,” he said, emphasizing that he has to stay on track because “bad habits can creep back in.”
Thanks to Senghun’s play, Houston has made a leap this season and is in contention for a play-in tournament berth. Can Senghun and Houston punch their ticket to the play-in tournament in the midst of a fierce standings battle?