Rockets projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season

Houston Rockets starting center: Alperen Sengun

Despite playing under a head coach who did not understand him, Alperen Sengun emerged as a legitimate fulcrum of Houston’s offense last season. Now with Udoka taking over the reins, one has to imagine the Rockets will lean fully into Sengun’s unique skill set as a playmaking center.

The Nikola Jokic comparisons have always been willful misfires, but Sengun does possess a fun blend of flare and competence as a passer. He sees the floor and processes the game at an extremely high level and Houston should be unafraid to orbit its offense around him.

Sengun can punish defenses any number of ways. He’s comfortable facing up from the free throw line, where’s a true triple threat. Sengun can handle in space and drive the lane, he can operate Al Horford-style as a playmaking hub from the elbow, or he can run simple pick-and-roll with Houston’s array of talented guards. Sengun frequently passes cutters open underneath the basket and he’s a balletic scorer in the post, capable of bullying smaller defenders with his strength or tiptoeing around bigger defenders with his elegant footwork.

He’s certainly a unique player — Sengun doesn’t possess much vertical or lateral pop at all, he’s entirely reliant on craft and strength — and the defensive limitations are a huge concern. That said, Sengun is probably the best offensive prospect on the team aside from Thompson, and he has a real chance to be Houston’s best player next season if the Rockets embrace the beautiful oddity of his flamboyant passing and dynamic post game.

Primary backup center: Jock Landale

The Rockets gave Jock Landale four years and $32 million to lure him away from Phoenix, with the final three years all non-guaranteed. That’s a pretty penny and it speaks to how highly the Rockets value Landale, who was far and away Phoenix’s best center in the playoffs last season.

The Aussie is a good stylistic change of pace behind Sengun: he’s physical and fundamentally sound on defense, with a hulking 6-foot-11 frame and a no-nonsense attitude. He gets after it on the glass and he’s unafraid to wage war in the post, no doubt a trait he acquired from years of playing against the brutal physicality of Australia’s NBL. Landale could close a lot of games depending on how tight Sengun’s leash is under Udoka. If the Rockets are trying to win games, Landale’s defensive reliability is going to earn him important minutes in big matchups.

Other players who could receive minutes at center: Jabari Smith Jr., Boban Marjanovic