Alperen Sengun is putting up Jokic-like stats and it's turned the Rockets into real contenders

The Houston Rockets don't have a household name superstar on their roster. Alepren Sengun, Tari Eason and Amen Thompson are respected in NBA circles but casual fans aren't going to turn on the TV for them. Maybe that's why the Houston Rockets are flying under the radar despite a 10-4 record and a 5-game winning streak.

Houston had some expectations coming into this year after making a huge jump from the basement of the league to the middle of the pack in 2023-24. Alperen Sengun was supposed to lead the charge this year, and after a clunky start, the fourth-year center is finally looking like the star Houston knows he can be.

Alperen Sengun is posting Nikola Jokic-like stats recently

Two straight triple-doubles for Alepren Sengun is nice, of course — even in an era of inflated stats, we shouldn't lose sight of how impressive a triple-double is. But Houston winning these games is undoubtedly more important. If Houston can win these games while Sengun posts gaudy stats? Even better?

In the month of November, Sengun is averaging 18.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game, a statline much closer to what Houston fans wanted from Sengun after looking a little rusty out of the gate. In his past two games, he's been a combined +73 which is almost hard to fathom.

The Western Conference is a horror show for teams trying to separate themselves from the pack. There are basically zero easy wins and teams will have to stay sharp all season to keep up in the standings. There will be good teams in the Western Conference play-in tournament, and the Rockets look good enough to earn a top-six seed and avoid the play-in altogether.

Houston is fifth in net rating, third in defensive rating, and doesn't turn the ball over much. The Rockets have shot the 3-pointer pretty poorly (28th in the NBA) and are dead-last in assist rate, but are those stats to be worried about or reasons to be even more excited because they can really only get better?

Those are questions to be answered later, but for now the Rockets are excelling at the most important stat: wins.