With Fred VanVleet out, the Houston Rockets are left without a true point guard right as training camp is about to begin. There’s still no panic. The Rockets were expected to have Amen Thompson or Reed Sheppard take care of ball-handling duties. But they don’t want to rush into the process. That’s why the Rockets are looking to rely on two veterans – Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun.

According to Jake Fischer, the Rockets are hoping that some of the offense can run through KD and Sengun. Each of them has done it in the past. Kevin Durant nearly dragged the Brooklyn Nets past the Bucks when he played as the focal point. Sengun earned comparisons to Nikola Jokic for his playstyle and averaged 4.9 assists despite VanVleet’s involvement.

Don’t mistake that for the Rockets wanting them to be the primary ball-handlers. The Rockets are still indecisive about that. To start the season, Amen Thompson and Sheppard will share those duties. The Rockets want to use the first few months to analyse how they respond to their new duties. If not, the Rockets will look to the market in search of a point guard.

It seems to be a simple solution. But the Rockets aren’t in a position to even afford a minimum contract. The Houston Chronicle reported,” The Rockets only have $1.25 million in payroll space to work with right now. That means they can’t even afford to pay the minimum salary for a player with two years of NBA experience, worth $2.3 million this season,”.

If they are forced to go into the market, the Houston Rockets will be forced to move a major piece. That’s not ideal for a team that is looking at championship aspirations this season. However, the Rockets don’t have to go through such a hassle. They can always rely on one of their own.

The Houston Rockets can go through Alperen Sengun

Heading into training camp, the Houston Rockets will hope to see bright flashes from Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard. It would help them develop some players of their own, which is essential with the CBA favoring teams that draft well. But even if they don’t yield satisfactory output, the Rockets have a player who was among the top playmakers at EuroBasket 2025.

Alperen Sengun hasn’t just earned comparisons to the Joker for no reason. His sensational run with Turkey added to the heat. As their ace, Sengun guided Turkey to a silver medal finish, losing out narrowly to Germany. He averaged 6.6 assists during the campaign, ranking fourth in the tournament. Sengun also put up a triple-double performance against Poland, showcasing his all-court acumen.

The Rockets trust Sengun enough to give him a max extension last summer. Creating and putting the ball on the floor are some of the sublime parts of the center’s game. He thrives when dictating the tempo. Being a big man doing all those things all the more makes for a tough dynamic to counter. So even if the Rockets don’t go into the market, there shouldn’t be any major problems.

Thompson and Sheppard are promising talents who can develop their ball-handling skills. However, with Alperen Sengun on the roster, the Rockets have a stunning talent who can unlock their fierce offense.