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5 rivals who should be on Wembanyama’s hit list next season with the Spurs
By Cal Durrett
5) Alperen Sengun
The Houston Rockets made big strides last season after being awful since trading James Harden back in early 2021, even winning 11 straight games late last season. Part of their improvement had to do with Rockets big man Alperen Sengun, who had a breakout season last year, averaging 21.1 points and 9.3 rebounds. Houston's ascension coincides with Spurs', with the in-state rivals being linked in more ways than one.
San Antonio painfully passed up on drafted Sengun in favor of taking Joshua Primo 12th overall in 2021. That makes Sengun's improvement frustrating for some Spurs fans, with him even dropping a career-high 45 points against them. On the other hand, Rockets fans are still big mad about their team failing to land the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and having to watch as the rival Spurs were able to select Wembanyama.
With both teams rising and possibly competing for a spot in the play-in tournament, each of their four matches next season will be hugely important. San Antonio winning that season series would help in potential tiebreakers when it comes to the playoff race.
Also, having Sengun and Wembanyama possibly compete for a spot on the West all-star team could make those matchups even more special, with Wemby hopefully cooking Sengun each time.