The current second C! Can Shen Jing be selected for the best second team this season?

Who is the best center in the league today?

There is no doubt about Jokic.

So who is the second center in the league today after Jokic?

Judging from the current performance this season, this issue is slowly losing suspense - Alperen Shenjing.

As the 16th pick in the first round of the 2021 class, Shen Jing has made progress every year since entering the NBA. He was a substitute in the first year, became a regular starter in the second year, established the core of the Rockets in the third year, and was selected as an All-Star + leading the team in the playoffs in the fourth year.

This year is his fifth season in the NBA. After the baptism of the European Championships in the offseason, Shen Jing's performance has reached a higher level. He has demonstrated his dominance in too many games.

Take the last game against the Bucks as an example. Shen Jing played 40 minutes, shooting 10 of 15 shots, 1 of 1 three-pointers, 2 of 3 free throws, and scored 23 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists.

The Rockets were trailing 100-108 with 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and finally made a 22-7 comeback. Shen Jing scored 7 points in this offensive wave, including two crucial layups:

- With 1 minute and 09 seconds left, after receiving a pass from Durant, the basket attracted double teams and fake fax hooks, helping the Rockets 117-113. Leading to 4 points

- With 23 seconds left, he grabbed a rebound from the backcourt, drove to the frontcourt, turned around and made a layup to tie 2+1. The Rockets led to 6 points, killing the game

Note that the first of these two layups was towards Antetokounmpo, and the second was dribbled past Antetokounmpo and then towards Turner. The gold content is not too high.

At the end of the game, Shen Jing may not have scored as many points as his teammate Durant (31 points), but his on-field plus-minus reached +21. In other words, in less than 9 minutes when Shen Jing was not on the court, the Rockets lost 14 points to the Bucks, which is quite an exaggeration.

Zooming into the season so far, Shen Jing has played a total of 9 games, averaging 22.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 49.0%/39.3%/74.3% and a true shooting percentage of 58.3%.

For comparison, Shen Jing last season: averaged 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 49.6%/23.3%/69.2% and a true shooting percentage of 54.5%.

After being selected as an All-Star last season, Shen Jing's performance continues to improve this season. Currently, his points, assists, and steals are all at the highest level of his career. Among them, the number of assists ranks 12th in the league. The last two centers with such high assist numbers were Jokic and Sabonis, and they are also players that Shen Jing has been chasing and being compared with.

The point is, under the leadership of Shen Jing, the Rockets started with 6 wins and 3 losses, and currently have a net efficiency of +9.6, ranking third in the league, second only to the Thunder and Nuggets. According to the latest official team strength list, the Rockets are also ranked third in the league.

Pay attention to this data, so far this season:

- When Shen Jing is on the court, the Rockets can score 125.5 points per 100 possessions, and their opponents are 15.6 points better.

- Without Shen Jing on the court, the Rockets can only score 102.6 points per 100 possessions, and their opponents are 5.2 points behind.

Currently, Shen Jing's cumulative plus-minus value has reached +113, ranking fourth in the league. Excellent record, excellent passing, coupled with crazy on/off value, it is difficult not to think of Jokic (the league's first plus-minus value is Jokic +129).

Of course, Shen Jing is not as dominant as Jokic, and his perception of the game is not as arbitrary as Jokic's, but don't forget that Shen Jing just celebrated his 23rd birthday in July this year.

Compared to the same period, the 23-year-old Jokic averaged 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game (2018-19 season). He was selected to the All-Star and All-NBA First Team for the first time in his career. This was also the season when Jokic officially entered his peak.

Objectively speaking, it is not easy to reach Jokic's height, but Shen Jing's progress is seen by all fans. This season, he is the second center in the league, and he is expected to be selected for the All-NBA Team for the first time in his career. In the first MVP list officially announced by the NBA, Shen Jing was ranked tenth, which is equivalent to the second team level.

Also, the Rockets really have hope of competing for the championship this season. Last season, they were too young and lacked a reliable end point on the offensive end. As a result, they were eliminated by the Warriors in the tiebreaker in the first round.

But this year, Shen Jing has begun to enter the ranks of superstars. Smith Jr., Amen, and Sheppard are also slowly transforming and improving. With the addition of Durant, the Rockets definitely hope to hit the championship-and it may not just be this season. We will wait and see.