The Houston Rockets made a solid leap from a rough 22-60 season in 2022-2023 to a decent 41-41 last year. Sure, bringing in guys like Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet helped, but let’s not sleep on the young guns like Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green. These rising stars stepped up big time, proving they’re ready to play and drive the team’s bounce-back. Now, the Houston Rockets are at a major crossroads with their young guns, Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, both set to get rookie contract extensions.

With 15 players already locked in, including the fresh addition Aaron Holiday, the team’s in a decent spot but now faces a big decision. ESPN’s Zach Lowe and sports commentator Bobby Marks talked about Alperen Şengün’s contract extension on The Lowe Podcast. Lowe shared his approach as if he were Sengun’s agent: “Hey, look, prove to me that Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, Franz Wagner… Alperen Sengun has outperformed all those dudes.” Sengun had a spectacular outing last season, averaging over 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, it’s clear he’s made a serious case for the $200 million extension.

Even though Lowe argues that Sengun has outperformed guys like Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes, it’s not a slam dunk. Cunningham averaged 22 points and 7 assists and Barnes had over 19 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds. So yeah, Sengun’s ahead right now, but it’s no guarantee that things won’t shift next season. That said if Sengun wants to lock down the contract extension, he should emphasize that he’s outshining these other young stars.

“If you had to just predict, which of these two [Jalen Green and Alpren Sengun] is likely to get an extension if either of them does before the season, who would you pick?” Lowe asked Bobby Marks on the podcast. Without hesitation, Bobby said Sengun and both agreed. This wasn’t without reason.

“Up and down” – Zach Lowe highlights Jalen Green’s inconsistency