"He’ll retire as the greatest Rocket": Alperen Sengun defies expectations, NBA Twitter erupts with hype after historic night

Alperen Sengun led the Houston Rockets to a lung-busting 127-126 overtime win against the Utah Jazz on Saturday. The emerging star finished with a career-high 37 points to go with a game-high 14 rebounds in the victory. Houston snapped a three-game losing streak behind yet again another stellar display from the 21-year-old big man.Sengun’s two free throws tied the score at 115 with 20 seconds left in the game. Collin Sexton missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. Rockets coach Ime Udoka ran everything through the Turkish international in extra time to come out with the win.Fans on X (formerly Twitter) tossed in their thoughts after another Alperen Sengun masterpiece:“He’ll retire as the greatest rocket”Becoming the greatest Rockets player will be tough. He will have to at least win two championships for the team as the franchise cornerstone. An MVP and NBA Finals MVP along the way will not hurt his case either. Toppling the legendary Hakeem Olajuwon for that honor will not be an easy feat to accomplish.Olajuwon led the Rockets to their only championships (1994 and 1995) in history. Houston beat Patrick Ewing’s New York Knicks in a classic seven-game thriller first before sweeping Shaquille O’Neal’s Orlando Magic for their second Larry O’Brien Trophy. “The Dream” won NBA Finals MVP honors on both occasions.The Houston Rockets have not made it to the playoffs since 2020. The following year, they traded for Alperen Sengun, who was picked No. 16 by the OKC Thunder, for two future first-round picks on draft night. Three years later, the centerpiece of that contract could be the biggest reason the Rockets return to the postseason.Alperen Sengun has been the biggest reason for the Rockets’ rise to playoff contentionAlperen Sengun is averaging career-highs in points (21.5 PPG), assists (4.9 APG), and steals (1.2 SPG). Only Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic are arguably better than him in scoring, rebounding and playmaking. Two are two-time MVPs while the other is the back-to-back scoring champ and reigning MVP.Sengun’s mind-blowing improvements have mirrored the Rockets' rise in the Western Conference. They hold a 20-21 record, which puts them 11th in their conference at the halfway point of the season. They are chasing the LA Lakers (21-22) and the Utah Jazz (22-22) for the 10th spot and final play-in tournament ticket.The development of Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson will also be crucial to the Rockets’ success. They are three of the most athletic and explosive wings in the NBA today. If they steadily progress as the season moves forward, Houston will be a problem in the West.Alperen Sengun, however, has been the key to their rise. He has been repeatedly compared to Nikola Jokic, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, with the way he plays. Sengun dictates so much of what Houston does on offense and fans are noticing his part. He is sixth in the first returns of the Western Conference All-Star voting.The former Turkish League star is most likely not expecting to play in next month’s All-Star Game in Indiana. He is, however, pushing to drag the Houston Rockets to at least a play-in tournament appearance.