Rockets have Alperen Sengun defensive problem without Fred VanVleet

Turkiye v Sweden: Round of 16 - FIBA EuroBasket 2025 | Christina Pahnke - sampics/GettyImagesAs the Houston Rockets attempt to make a title run this season in spite of their loss of Fred VanVleet, the team will depend more than ever on franchise center Alperen Sengun in order to dominate both sides of the ball.

Yet, according to Sam Vecenie on the latest episode of The Game Theory podcast, VanVleet's absence could have a serious impact on Sengun's defensive game given his importance at the point of attack, and it remains to be seen whether Sengun can have the same defensive impact with VanVleet out of the lineup.

Undoubtedly, the Rockets will still put out a strong defensive front night in…