Despite improved stats, Sengun missed the All-Star cut. Unpacking the surprising omission and the potential reasons coaches overlooked his game.
On Sunday afternoon, the NBA announced the results for the remaining 2026 All-Stars. As usual, there were some fun surprises, and minor celebrations for first time appearances. Jamal Murray, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Duren, and Jalen Johnson headline that list of newcomers.
We also had some future Hall of Fame players and absolute legends added to the game.
No surprise to see KD invited to yet another Sunday night celebration after averaging roughly a 26-5-5 stat line. Staying right on track with his career averages, even in his 18th season, Basketball-Reference. Take his near 50-40-90 shooting splits into consideration, and it’s a no brainer for him to be participating in his 16th All-Star Game.
The all time leading scorer in NBA history is breaking yet another record with his 22nd consecutive All-Star selection. Of course, he’s breaking his own record again, after surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 19 selections. Granted, LeBron James didn’t play in last year's competition, but he was still selected.
While Rockets fans are thrilled to see KD’s season being rewarded, the results had many fans across the globe shocked to find out Alperen Sengun wouldn’t be on the All-Star team.
It left fans questioning why and how this could even be reality. After all, he’s made improvements in multiple statistical categories. From 19.1 to 21.0 points per game, and 4.9 assists to a career high 6.4 assists per game. Not insignificant improvements, and definitely not a drop off.
He made improvements in other stats, as you can see on Basketball-Reference, plus a huge 6.7-percent improvement from beyond the ark. Despite still being below the league average, his 30-percent shooting this season is an undeniable improvement from the 27.7-percent average throughout his career.
Those shooting percentages are definitely an area of improvement to focus on. The main issue has been his free throws, making only 69.8-percent of them for his career. This season is actually a career low, 68.4-percent on a career high 5.9 attempts per game.
Considering head coaches from around the league are responsible for selecting the All-Star reserves, I wouldn’t be surprised if free throw percentage is a stat they look at. It’s not just a popularity contest. A simple improvement there could be the difference in Sengun being a consistent All-Star, or that being more dependent on team success.
With KD’s selection being unquestionable, it’s going to be pretty difficult to get that second All-Star from the same team.
The Thunder and Pistons are rewarded for being the top teams in the league. The Lakers have an MVP candidate and an NBA legend. The Nuggets have an MVP candidate who got injured, and Jamal Murray kept the team afloat for over a month. The Knicks were NBA Cup Champions, for what that’s worth.
At the end of the day, it shouldn’t be a huge surprise for Sengun to not be selected. His stats have been relatively the same since the 2023-2024 season, the Rockets didn’t make a huge jump like they did last season, and there’s already another surefire selection on the team. A disappointing outcome, but understandable.