After inefficient playoffs, Alperen Sengun targets offensive growth in 2025 offseason
After inefficient playoffs, Alperen Sengun targets offensive growth in 2025 offseason 'I think I improved my defense this season, but I have to work a lot more on my offense,' Rockets star Alperen Sengun said after a first-round playoff series to Golden State. 'I was better last year.'
All-Star center Alperen Sengun led the Houston Rockets in most counting-statistics categories during the 2025 NBA playoffs. But he didn't do so in an efficient manner.
In a seven-game series loss to the Golden State Warriors in the first round, Sengun finished with a true-shooting (TS) percentage of just 49.1%. After a strong Game 1, his TS was just 46.6% over the final six games, with Defensive Player of the Year candidate Draymond Green often serving as a strong deterrent near the rim.
In postgame comments, the 23-year-old indicated that his offense would be a point of emphasis during the upcoming 2025 offseason.
'I think I improved my defense this season, but I have to work a lot more on my offense,' Sengun said. 'I didn't have a great year on offense. I was better last year, I would say.'
'A long summer is waiting for me,' Sengun added. 'I have a lot to do. I'm going to focus on my body, my touch, everything.'
To Sengun's point, his overall shooting in the regular season dipped from 53.7% in 2023-24 to 49.6% in 2024-25, and his TS fell from 58.5% to 54.5%. That latter was the lowest of Sengun's four-year career and was among the worst for high-usage NBA centers this season.
'I have a lot to work on, and making all those easy shots,' Sengun said. 'I will work a lot this offseason on those shots and come back even stronger next year. And hopefully make those next year in the playoffs.'
More: Rockets star Alperen Sengun on playoff anxiety: 'It helps, it shows how much I want it'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lakers veteran on who will be the NBA's best breakout superstar
In recent months, there has been a lot of talk that the NBA is supposedly in bad shape and putting out a poor product. One reason people feel that way is that LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry are nearing the end of their careers. People feel there is no young superstar who is fully capable or qualified of being the next face of the league. However, others feel there are a few such players who will make sure the league and its product remain in good hands. Advertisement Los Angeles Lakers big man Markieff Morris just finished his 14th season in the league, and he won an NBA championship with James in 2020. On an episode of ESPN's "Get Up," he was asked which player has the best chance of being the next breakout superstar, and he went with Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons. 'I'm going with Cunningham from Detroit,' said Morris. 'Cade Cunningham from Detroit. He had a great year. 'He led them guys to the playoffs. He took a step every single year. This is his third year. He's going to sign that big contract. I think he's the next guy. The next great point guard—scoring point guard in this league.' When Cunningham was the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, he was compared by some to James. While he doesn't have James' freakish athleticism, his size at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds had people thinking big when it came to his potential. He struggled mightily with his shooting in his first two pro seasons. But last season, he showed improvement, and this season, he became, at worst, a borderline superstar. Advertisement He averaged 26.1 points, 9.1 assists and 6.1 rebounds a game while shooting 46.9% from the field and 35.6% from 3-point range. With some help from an improved supporting cast, he has made the Pistons into a rising playoff-caliber team that everyone respects now. At age 23, he should still have significant room for improvement moving forward. This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers veteran on who will be the NBA's best breakout superstar
USA Today
42 minutes ago
- USA Today
Lakers veteran on who will be the NBA's best breakout superstar
Lakers veteran on who will be the NBA's best breakout superstar In recent months, there has been a lot of talk that the NBA is supposedly in bad shape and putting out a poor product. One reason people feel that way is that LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry are nearing the end of their careers. People feel there is no young superstar who is fully capable or qualified of being the next face of the league. However, others feel there are a few such players who will make sure the league and its product remain in good hands. Los Angeles Lakers big man Markieff Morris just finished his 14th season in the league, and he won an NBA championship with James in 2020. On an episode of ESPN's "Get Up," he was asked which player has the best chance of being the next breakout superstar, and he went with Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons. 'I'm going with Cunningham from Detroit,' said Morris. 'Cade Cunningham from Detroit. He had a great year. 'He led them guys to the playoffs. He took a step every single year. This is his third year. He's going to sign that big contract. I think he's the next guy. The next great point guard—scoring point guard in this league.' When Cunningham was the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, he was compared by some to James. While he doesn't have James' freakish athleticism, his size at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds had people thinking big when it came to his potential. He struggled mightily with his shooting in his first two pro seasons. But last season, he showed improvement, and this season, he became, at worst, a borderline superstar. He averaged 26.1 points, 9.1 assists and 6.1 rebounds a game while shooting 46.9% from the field and 35.6% from 3-point range. With some help from an improved supporting cast, he has made the Pistons into a rising playoff-caliber team that everyone respects now. At age 23, he should still have significant room for improvement moving forward.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
The Knicks played like they know how precious this opportunity is
Now comes the hard part. After dropping the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks refused to bow out on their home floor, saving their season with Thursday night's wire-to-wire Game 5 win, 111-94, over the Pacers. The teams will meet Saturday in Game 6 in Indiana with the Pacers still just one win from reaching the NBA Finals. Only 13 of 284 teams facing a 3-1 deficit in the NBA playoffs have come back to win the series. Advertisement Jalen Brunson carried the team early — scoring 14 of his game-high 32 points in the first quarter — and the Knicks never eased off the pedal, exhibiting the ideal blend of desperation and focus, tightening their defense and attacking the rim, maintaining a double-digit lead through the entire second half.
