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Who is the league’s most overrated player? (2026 Poll): Alperen Sengun, 12.3%. 81 votes. Alperen Sengun earned his second All-Star nod this season and helped lead the Houston Rockets to the fifth seed in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. His stats of 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game and four triple-doubles are impressive. Why all the skepticism from his peers? That’s a question that we cannot fully answer, but perhaps this comment from one of the players who voted for him sheds some light on things: “He's crying every play. He's talented, but, dude, just play hard.” While it is true that Şengün does not have a reputation as a particularly strong defender, with Amen Thompson and Tari Eason strongly defending on the perimeter, the Rockets finished the season sixth in defensive rating.
Coty M. Davis: #Rockets Amen Thompson at LCA tonight for Ausar. #Pistons
Varun Shankar: Rafael Stone and Ime Udoka both say this team should have won more games. Stone called the season frustrating. Didn't say firmly if team would make big moves but said even if HOU doesn't, expects growth from young players (mentioned Tari Eason, Jabari Smith, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard) to lead to addnl success.
As fondly as they still regarded Harden, there was a wariness about how he would affect the development of Sengun, Sheppard and Thompson. "We're not really looking for a heliocentric player, as great as James still is," one team source said. "We want to develop Reed, we want to develop Amen and we want the ball in Alpy's hands." As another said, "We weren't going to put the ball in [Harden's] hands, so why would you trade for James if you're not going to give him the ball?"
The Rockets will also meet with Thompson in hopes of agreeing to an extension, team sources said. (The 23-year-old is eligible to sign a five-year, $252 million max extension, according to the CBA and salary-cap analysts.) VanVleet has a $25 million player option for the 2026-27 season, but the Rockets, who are confident the veteran guard wishes to remain in Houston, will speak with him about either picking up the option or declining it for a longer deal, sources said.
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Bringing back Eason could potentially put the Rockets in a position to have five players on next year’s salary cap making north of $20 million and eight earning at least $10 million annually. That doesn’t even include the lucrative extension young star Amen Thompson is expected to sign this summer, potentially a five-year deal worth more than $250 million. Ownership has shown a willingness to shell out the money to construct a competitive roster, but Stone will have to be strategic in how he puts all the pieces together.
Will Guillory: Alperen Şengün said it was a different experience giving a speech in front of the team this morning, knowing English isn't his first language. He said Amen Thompson came to him after and said the speech really motivated him going into Game 4. Şengün: "Did I mess up any words?" Amen: "You did once, but I was still motivated."
"Alp gave us a motivational speech this morning, and we took that and ran with it." pic.twitter.com/0gJvRaCYAU
— Rockets Clips (@Rockets_Clips) April 27, 2026
NBA Courtside: Dave McMenamin says Amen Thompson has no idea how Kevin Durant is feeling: "Amen Thompson was asked how KD was feeling and he said 'To be honest with you, I don't know.' Whether that means KD has been doing all of his rehab away from the team or the team hasn't been checking in on him, that's another dynamic to look for"
Varun Shankar: Amen Thompson on how he processed the end of Game 3: "We had it. We gave it away, but can't even think about it anymore. ... we can't focus on it." Amen on what Durant's mood has been like: "I'm not going to lie, I don't know. I think it's been good."
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Shams Charania: With Kevin Durant sidelined, the Rockets are expected to utilize the second-youngest starting lineup in NBA playoff history -- their homegrown core of Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun.
Amen Thompson pointed to tempo, decision-making, and defensive lapses as key factors after the Houston Rockets dropped Game 1 of their first-round series 107-98 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena. “We thought we were getting into stuff slow. I thought we could have been faster,” Thompson said. “Yeah, I wanted us to be faster.” The Rockets struggled to consistently generate early offense against a disciplined Lakers defense that forced Houston into half-court sets. Thompson stressed pace as a clear adjustment point heading into Game 2. “Just get it out off makes, off misses, get it out,” he said. “When me and Reed are in there, playing fast is to our advantage. So just doing that I feel like it’s going to change a lot.”
Mike Trudell: Ime Udoka said Reed Sheppard will enter the starting lineup in the absence of Durant, alongside Josh Okogie, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith and Alperen Sengun.
The Rockets Wire: Amen Thompson on how the #Rockets can avoid complacency versus the short-handed Lakers: “It’s the playoffs, we’re trying to win a championship. There’s no time for complacency.”
