RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sourcesDespite tallying 52 wins and finishing fifth in the Western Conference last year, the Houston Rockets had a disappointing season by many other measures. After losing point guard Fred VanVleet to injury last summer, Houston saw Kevin Durant sidelined for five out of six playoff games, which led to a series defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers .
Following a tough season that included locker room turmoil, star center Alperen Sengun opened up about his efforts to stay positive, saying , "When we lost games, everyone looking from the outside tried to attack us and find any small thing they could pick on. They tried to pit us against each other. Attacking me through the coach. Because there are so many people out there who want to see us fail, you know? That’s actually why I deleted Twitter."
Now with VanVleet back into the fold and the recent signing of veteran point guard Marcus Smart, Houston will hope to keep outside distractions at a minimum. This could help Sengun take the next step entering his age-24 season. Last year in 72 appearances, the Turkish center averaged 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and career highs in assists (6.2) and blocks (1.1), earning his second consecutive All-Star selection.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets All-Star addresses distractions during 2025-26 season
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.