The Houston Rockets are near the top of the Western Conference standings with a 6-1 record. The Rockets’ primary starting lineup is composed of Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun.

Houston’s next challenge will come against the Boston Celtics, who have a new look with the departure of Jaylen Brown and the arrival of Paul George. Boston has accumulated a 5-1 record during the early stretch of the season.

In a recent post on his X account, Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Bosh explained what makes the Rockets-Celtics matchup compelling. Bosh mentioned the Rockets’ defensive prowess and Sengun’s unique approach to offense.

“This is my team to watch. This is one of the teams that I’m very interested in for this season. Hopefully they can build to a championship… Houston is like a team that just wants to wrestle. If they constrict you defensively and get you in the half court game, especially late, they got some guys. Sengun has got a very unorthodox game, but he scores and it’s effective.”

Bosh, for those who don't remember, nearly left the Miami Heat for Houston in his native Texas during the 2014 offseason. He chose to stay with the Heat, and then was out of basketball two years later due to blood clots.

A New Ceiling

The Rockets have claimed victories over both the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, who faced each other in the latest edition of the Western Conference Finals. Both the Spurs and Thunder are anticipated to make another deep postseason run, although Oklahoma City is dealing with numerous injuries at the moment.

Houston’s lone loss of the season came at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Although the Rockets were dominant in their season opener, the Mavericks were victorious on Friday with Sengun on the sidelines with lower back soreness.

As alluded to by Bosh’s comments, Sengun has been an impactful player for the franchise. The two-time All-Star is averaging 22.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. He has been compared to Nikola Jokic throughout his career, as both are known for being playmaking centers.

Based on the sample size, there’s an argument to be made that Sengun could earn his first All-NBA selection in 2027. He is posting career-high averages in points and assists per game, ranking in the top 20 across the league in both metrics.

While Durant has shown consistency as an elite scorer at 38 years old, Sengun continues to show the promise of being a franchise star for years to come. The test will be whether the 24-year-old can sustain his current pace and push the team’s success even further.