Many NBA analysts are high on Houston Rockets big man Alperen Sengun . He is coming off his first NBA All-Star game selection last season and is currently playing excellent basketball at the EuroBasket.
According to ESPN's Kendrick Perkins , what Sengun has shown in the NBA, especially this past year, proves that he is one of the top big men in the league. And for him, Perkins says he puts him right up there with the best of the best.
"He is a top-five big man in the NBA. You know why? Not just because of the points, not just because of the rebounds and assists, but he actually plays defense at a high level. Watch and see how great he is in the pick and roll, forcing, hedging out his traps, being able to switch through one to five and slide those damn puppies," Perk explained.
After averaging a career-high 21.1 points per game for the Rockets during the 2023-24 season, Sengun's scoring dipped a bit to 19.1 per game this past campaign.
However, he put up a career-high 10.3 rebounds per game while also contributing 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals per contest.
But that's not all.
According to Basketball Reference , Sengun was tied for third overall in the league with Defensive Win Shares of 4.2. He also ranked 11th overall in the league in Defensive Rating at 108.3 points per 100 possessions allowed, placing higher on the 2024-25 list than former DPOY winners Rudy Gobert and Giannis Antetokounmpo and was 13th in Defensive Box Plus/Minus.
Perkins says this elite defense sets him apart from many big men in today's game.
" Alperen Sengun is the real deal," Perk added. "There's a reason why we have the Rockets so high as far as being championship contenders. In my eyes, they are right there under OKC, knocking at the door. And a big reason is not just because of KD and Amen Thompson, it's because they have a top-five big man in the league in Baby Jokic."
Sengun entered Turkey's 2025 Eurobasket semifinals game against Greece, averaging 21.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. Although he struggled on 5-15 shooting from the field, he still put up an impressive 15 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals and one blocked shot, the latter being a swat on well, Giannis.
Antetokounmpo finished the game with 12 points on 6-13 shooting with 12 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. But that was not enough to help his team as Turkey dominated and won 94-68 to advance to the championship game.
Although it was Ercan Osmani who was Giannis' primary defender in the game, Sengun was there to provide the help.
"We just put Ercan on him and we help as much as we can. Ercan did a great job today. Of course, Giannis is one of the best players in the world, and we just try to help Ercan and I think we did a good job. He's an amazing player, but he's not a great passer, so we were just trying to help and jump close to the paint," Sengun said after the game.
Turkey will next face Germany in the title game on Sunday in Riga. Regardless of the outcome, Sengun will head to the upcoming NBA season with lofty expectations after last year's All-Star campaign and his current showing in the 2025 EuroBasket, where he ranks in the top 10 in points, rebounds, and assists.
Maybe Big Perk is right about him.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
