Rockets guard drops 3-word reaction to Alperen Sengun's mammoth $185 million deal
Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet was pleased for his teammate Alperen Sengun after the big inked a mammoth five-year, $185 million extension. The front office rewarded his breakout season with a rich deal after he was acquired by the Rockets for two future first-round draft picks. He was originally selected as the No. 16 pick by the OKC Thunder in 2021.
VanVleet, who joined Houston last season as part of the new-look Rockets outfit under new head coach Ime Udoka was happy for Sengun and took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a quick reaction.
"💰💰💰 yessir big fella"
As a rookie, Sengun displayed flashes of his potential averaging 9.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in 20.7 minutes over 72 games. He scaled up his performances in his second year averaging 14.8 points and nine rebounds in 75 appearances.
The 2023-24 campaign was even better as the big averaged 21.1 points, 9.3 boards, 5.0 assists and 1.2 steals. However, his season ended abruptly after a sprained ankle and a bruised knee shut him down for the edition. Now, the Houston Rockets will hope that a healthy Alperen Sengun will be able to recapture his last season's form as they look to make the playoffs.
"The talent level is real": Ime Udoka had earlier lavished praise on Alperen Sengun after last year's breakout season
Alperen Sengun's abilities as a legitimate two-way big drew high praise from his coach Udoka earlier this year. Speaking to The Athletic, the latter outlined the center's improvements.
“The talent level is real. It’s what you see on film and play against, and he’s taken a step as far as that. Competitiveness and going up against specific matchups right from day one. I think he’s improved defensively across the board, some of the things and challenges we’ve presented him with. He’s not even close to reaching his ceiling and has a ways to go, but he’s had a great year, and his future is bright.”
Sengun appeared in all four of the Rockets' preseason games and that comes as good news after his injury layoff. From a financial standpoint, the front office is sacrificing a significant chunk of their cap space for the upcoming season with the latest contract and fellow 2021 first-round pick Jalen Green's three-year, $106 million extension. Only time will tell if these major moves for the future will pay dividends as they aim for a fruitful season ahead.