The majority of NBA teams are approaching their 10th game of the 2026-2027 season. This provides a sample size of which players may dominate the league for the months to come.

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun is positioned at No. 6 on this season’s first edition of the NBA MVP Ladder. NBA.com's Shaun Powell wrote the following rationale.

“He leads the Rockets in scoring, rebounds and assists, nearly averaging a triple-double. This reflects growth in Sengun, especially as a distributor; he sharpened his passing skills last season when the Rockets were without Fred VanVleet, their starting point guard.”

The top spots on the ladder belong to Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

High Hopes

This season, Sengun is averaging 22.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. The two-time All-Star has received comparisons to three-time MVP Nikola Jokic throughout his career due to his strengths as a playmaking center.

In just a few weeks, Sengun is emerging as Houston’s most valuable player on offense. With Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Fred VanVleet taking the other spots in Houston’s primary starting lineup, Sengun has numerous weapons to pass to as a facilitator when not scoring.

The Rockets are near the top of the Western Conference standings with a 7-2 record. Houston’s loss against the Dallas Mavericks occurred with Sengun sidelined due to lower back soreness, while the 24-year-old recorded a triple-double during the team’s defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Otherwise, he has been a top contributor to team success.

One question is whether Sengun can make the leap into becoming a top-2 center in the Western Conference, as Wembanyama and Jokic are considered a tier higher in terms of elite status than the rest of the conference’s centers.

Based on his current production levels, Sengun will need to make another jump to ascend into serious MVP consideration. However, an All-NBA selection is well within range if his consistency is maintained.

Although Sengun is leading the team in numerous categories, the Rockets will likely not need to rely on the Turkey native on a nightly basis due to the depth of the roster. This is one factor that is encouraging for a franchise looking to make a deep playoff run.

Overall, Sengun is on the right path to taking the torch as Houston’s next top franchise star. He has been excelling as an offensive engine for the Rockets.