The age of the big man appears to finally be back in the NBA and the Houston Rockets have a good one in rising star Alperen Sengun.
Sengun may not have the same ceiling as players like Nikola Jokic and Domantis Sabonis, but he’s proven to be a capable starting center in the league.
Rockets fans are familiar with great center play as they’ve been fortunate to see legends like Hakeem Olajuwon win titles for them.
However, one name that gets lost sometimes in Houston history is Yao Ming who was a marvel when he entered the league.
The former Rockets All-Star was nearly unguardable when he got the ball in the low post as he simply towered over defenders.
Ming’s former teammate Shane Battier explained just how dominant he was during their time together via The Volume.
“Prime Shaq, Dwight Howard, they couldn’t do anything with him,” Battier said.
"Prime Shaq, Dwight Howard, they couldn't do anything with him"
—@ShaneBattier tells @Money23Green how good Yao Ming really was pic.twitter.com/0VILSOKGdt
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) February 17, 2024
Ming may not have been a bruising and physical center like Shaquille O’Neal or Dwight Howard, but he was skilled in the post and had a reliable midrange game.
The China native led Houston to several postseason appearances but couldn’t overcome teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks.
However, that shouldn’t take away from the fact that Ming was one of the best players during his prime and could’ve won titles in the NBA had he not run into teams like the Spurs and Mavericks.
This next generation of centers doesn’t resemble Ming, but he’s still worth studying as he was arguably ahead of his time.
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