After one of the most successful Christmas Day slates in recent memory, chock-full of high-quality games that were rewarded with high television ratings, the NBA returns to its regularly scheduled programming with a nine-game slate. Going into the season, fans might have expected the Houston Rockets’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans to be competitive, but with New Orleans’ myriad of injuries and Houston’s strong start, fans can expect a Rockets victory.
What does that mean for Alperen Şengün? The 22-year-old Turk has made massive strides on the defensive side of the ball this season at the cost of a slight regression in offensive efficiency. Still, he’s been the post hub of a 20-9 Houston team and should garner All-Star consideration, averaging 18.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game on 48-25-77 splits.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Rockets are 7.5-point favorites and the point total is set to 221.5. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bets centered around Şengün.
Best Alperen Şengün Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Alperen Şengün O34.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-110)
From Dejounte Murray to Zion Williamson to Herb Jones, the injury bug has hit the Pelicans hard this season, and they have a more talented roster than the typical 5-25 team. But they still aren’t anywhere near healthy — Ingram, Williamson, and Jose Alvarado will all miss tonight’s game, while wing Trey Murphy III is questionable after suffering an ankle injury in a December 22 loss to the Denver Nuggets. With so many of their best players sidelined, New Orleans has struggled on defense, having bottom-ten ranks in every major stat category.
In particular, the Pelicans struggle to crash the boards, allowing opponents to rack up 45.7 rebounds per game, the fifth-most in basketball. While rookie center Yves Missi has been solid — he currently has the second-shortest odds to win Rookie of the Year at DraftKings Sportsbook — he can’t do it all alone. Both Jones and Murphy are perimeter-oriented wings, and with two small guards leading the line in CJ McCollum and Murray, New Orleans simply doesn’t have the size to keep Şengün, who ranks 25th among 237 players averaging at least 20 minutes per game — in rebounding percentage.
The Pelicans also allow 28.8 assists per game, the second-most in the league, and Şengün has improved massively as a playmaker. His 5.2 assists per game are the second-most on the Rockets, and his 2.29 assist-to-turnover ratio is also the second-best among Houston’s regular rotation pieces. He also averages more assists than any center but Denver’s Nikola Jokić and Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis. In the Rockets’ last game against New Orleans, a 133-113 win on December 19, Şengün dished out seven assists.
Alperen Şengün O0.5 Blocks (-120)
The biggest development Şengün has shown this year has been on the defensive side of the ball. In the first three years of his career, he was a lackadaisical defender, but head coach Ime Udoka has emphasized defensive awareness for his star player this year, and the lapses of attention that Şengün displayed last year are fewer and further between. He’s just one of 15 players who has averaged at least one steal and one block per game this season.
Meanwhile, owing to their lack of size, the Pelicans have allowed opponents to rack up 5.8 blocks per game, the tenth-highest rate in the NBA. Şengün has recorded at least one block in each of his last three games and should do so again tonight.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
