The NBA Has an Alperen Sengun Problem…

The NBA Has an Alperen Sengun Problem…

He just outplayed Nicola Joic. He’s teaming up with Kevin Durant and he’s only 23 years old. The NBA has a real Alprren Shenon problem. And it’s not just because he dropped 28 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists on a three-time NBA MVP and his powerhouse Serbian squad. Although these numbers are damn impressive and not even because he’s led Turkey to a perfect 6-0 run in Euro basket so far while pacing his national team in points, rebounds, assists, and efficiency rating. The problem runs deeper. It’s about the journey that got him here and the player he’s becoming might be bad news for the rest of the league heading into next season. So, let’s break it down. Shenon off to the for the stop. Many people called the Rockets lucky to land Shenon in the 2021 NBA draft. The Oklahoma City Thunder actually owned the pick that Houston used to draft him, but gave it up in exchange for two future firstrounders. That gamble turned out to be a steal and one of the rare trades that could be called a loss for OKC GM Sam Prey. After three promising years, Shangun became an all-star in year four, averaging a double double for the first time in his NBA career. But according to Rockets GM Raphael Stone, luck had nothing to do with it. We definitely saw it, Stone explained. We traded two first round picks to get him, so we wouldn’t have done that if we didn’t see somebody who could be this type of impactful player. Alprin was the MVP of his league at 18. The only two people who had comparable success in top tier leagues are Jokic and Luca. So I thought that was a good indicator. And just watching the film, he just does special stuff. Like Jokic and Donic, Shenun grew up playing pro basketball. At just 16, he suited up for a legit professional team in the Turkish second division. By the next season, he’d already moved up to the top tier Super League. And at the age of 18, he broke it, averaging 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks across 29 games for Basikdas, earning league MVP honors in 2021. On the same day he accepted the award, Shenun declared for the NBA draft. That’s when Stone knew he had to find a way to get him. It was tough. It was co I never met him in person because he couldn’t. But yeah, he was just a huge target. We picked Jaylen Green and then starting at pick six, I was throwing. We were trying to come out of the draft with those two guys. I started throwing stuff to other teams, trying to trade up all the way. Immediately after we made our first pick, we were trying to get him and we were lucky to get him. Lucky or not, the Rockets bet paid off immediately. When ShenGun arrived in Las Vegas for the 2021 Summer League, he barely spoke any English and couldn’t follow the coaches at first as they tried to install the playbook. But somehow he not only learned all the plays and where everyone needed to be, he was nodding his head, waving, making noises, and literally commanding teammates to break the set so he could whip them no look between the legs and behind the back passes. That’s when it was clear, language barrier or not, this kid just spoke basketball. His rookie season was mostly about adjusting to the speed of the NBA and surviving the grind of 82 games. Jagu Oh my left Zack Collins melting in his weight. By year two, he was starting more regularly, though the Rockets were still stuck in rebuild mode. Over his first two seasons, Houston won just 42 games total, prioritizing draft assets over wins. ShenGun’s flashes of brilliance were mixed in with the same kind of growing pains that come with any young core. But things shifted in April 2023 when Odoka arrived, hired to reset the culture and instill accountability, hard-nosed Udoka immediately changed the tone in Houston. The Rockets doubled down that summer by bringing in Fred Van Vleet and Dylan Brooks along with a few other veterans that fit MA’s style of leadership. Suddenly, the NBA’s youngest roster started to look like a team that wanted to win. Now, Shenun was all for it. We were like a college team, he said. Of course, we wanted vets who can teach us and lead us. You know what I’m saying? And now we have two championship players on the team and they’re talking a lot. We love learning. That culture shift, it unlocked a whole other level. Everyone already knew Shenun could score and create offense in spurts. But in year three, he rose to a much more consistent level of production and worked on not being a liability on the defensive end. He posted career highs of 21.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. And even though a late season knee injury cut his year short, it was by far his best season yet. Under Udoka, the Rockets looked like a franchise finally turning the corner. But Shangun, he still wasn’t done growing. I mean, literally, ShenGun has grown. He measured in at 6’11 last season. And he didn’t just get taller, he got stronger and more explosive after spending 5 weeks at P3, a sports science facility in California, learning how to optimize his body. the focus reinforcing his legs so he could hold his ground defensively in the paint and adding burst to finish at the rim. And then there’s his unique flexibility. Unlike most bigs, ShenGun’s body can twist, bend, and contort in ways that you just don’t see at his size. He can even do a full split. You don’t see that very often in NBA players, said Adam Huitt, GM at P3. Most guys are bound up pretty tight. It’s pretty crazy. Of course, you’re not going to see him drop into a split in the middle of an NBA game, but that hyper mobility is dangerous. Combine it with his footwork, size, and balance, and he becomes a nightmare to guard oneonone. Then the he says, “Stop it.” Shoo draws both big men. Just when it looks like you’ve walled him off with no way to get off a shot or make a pass, he twists, turns, and somehow creates an angle you never saw coming. and it’s starting to show up on both ends of the court. The 24-25 season was a true breakout. ShenGun not only made his first all-star appearance, but he became reliable enough defensively to stay on the floor in crunch time, something Ioka hadn’t trusted him with before. Udoka wasn’t afraid to deliver tough love along the way, whether it was pulling Shangun from a close game or chewing him out in a film session. But instead of shying away, ShenGun embraced it. “I love tough coaches,” he said, smiling. “Sometimes I lose my concentration. I feel like when I’m working with coaches who get mad, I think that makes me wake up. It’s good for me.” Udoka added with a laugh, “When I signed on, he said he wants to be coached hard, like he was in Europe, so I will oblige and do what he’s asking.” That mindset paid off. Shangun steadily improved as both an onball defender and a helpside presence, earning the trust of his coaches and teammates. He became a fixture in lateg game lineups and his growth was one of the key reasons the Rockets won 52 games and finished second in the West. Houston ranked top six in points allowed and fifth in defensive rating with Shenun’s development right at the center of it all. Even though the Rockets bowed out in a tough first round series against a much more experienced Golden State squad, ShenGun showed he wasn’t phased by the spotlight. He was one of Houston’s best players in that series. The scary part, his skill set doesn’t look like anyone else’s. Yes, he’s being compared to Jokic, but his game is its own mix. Think of a big who can pound you in the post, finish with a wing-like layup after a nifty euro step, clean the glass, run a dribble handoff, find cutters from the elbow, or even operate as the ball handler in pick and rolls. ShenGun can literally flip the court upside down and force opposing centers defend in areas they’re not comfortable. And when the offense flows through him, it makes the whole team better. Now, just imagine adding one of the deadliest scorers in league history to that mix because next season, Shangun will be paired with Kevin Durant. Durant is one of the most versatile offensive weapons the NBA has ever seen. And while the Rockets already had talent, KD’s arrival raises the ceiling to something terrifying. At first glance, the fit looks seamless. Durant is the clear-cut number one scoring option. Shenun is right behind him as the team’s second option, just as he was last year. Their usage rates were already pretty similar, and Durant’s presence should only make Shenun’s life easier. ShenGun has always been comfortable deferring when needed. He’s been sharing touches with Jaylen Green since day one, but having Durant on the floor gives him even more room to work. One of the most gifted scorers this game has ever seen in corner pocket. Both are versatile scorers who thrive in different situations. Shenon gets buckets on postups, short rolls, putbacks, and isolation. Durant, he’s lethal spotting up in isolation, running pick and rolls or coming off screens. Now picture the possibilities together. Shenon backs his man down while Durant hovers off the ball, ready to catch and shoot or flip it. KD runs the pick and roll with Shenon as the rollman or scarier yet ShenGun running point from the top of the key pulling a center away from the rim while Durant screens and pops out for a clean look or ghost the screen and puts several defenders in a blender testing their communication and coordination. That’s a nightmare for opposing defenses. Between them, they averaged over nine assists per game last season. 4.9 for Shenun, 4.2 for Durant. Both can create, both can finish, and both force defenses to make impossible choices. That’s exactly what the Rockets lacked in last year’s playoffs against Golden State. And it doesn’t stop there. Houston still has Amen Thompson, Fred Van Vleet, Steven Adams, Tari E, and Jabari Smith Jr. to round out one of the most balanced rosters in the West. Where Shenon ultimately ranks among Durant’s all-time superstar teammates remains to be seen. But the early signs are already pointing towards something special. And after the run ShenGun just had with the Turkish national team at Euro Basket, he might be climbing that list sooner than anyone expects. Because right now, Shenun isn’t just dominating for team Turkey. He’s also on the short list for Euro Basket MVP. Just look at what he did in group play. He’s tied for sixth in points per game among all with 21.6. He’s third in rebounds with 9.6. He’s third in assists with 6.8 behind only Luca Donic and Lithuanian star Rous Yakabatus. Both ball dominant guards. And Shenun ras third in efficiency rating at 31.4 behind only Luca and Giannis. So where does that combination of numbers put him? He’s the only player in the Euro Basket group stage to be top six in all of those categories. Not Luca, not Giannis, not Joic Shenun. And when he had his chance to go head-to-head with one of the best players in the world, he brought his best. Playing in Latvia, the star of the host nation’s team, Chrisaps Porzingis, even dubbed the matchup baby Jokic vers Joic, and it turned into one of the best jewels in recent Euro basket history. Nicola Joic had 22 points on 10 of 16 shooting plus nine rebounds, four assists, three steals, a block, and an efficiency rating of 31. But Shenun, just 23 years old, got the bragging rights, picking up both the win and player of the game award. He outplayed the three-time NBA MVP with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists, including two offensive rebounds over Jokic and and one and the clutch free throw that gave Turkey the lead with less than 3 minutes to go. Going right at Jokic from the perimeter and forcing him to foul, then hitting both freebies to retake the lead with 41 seconds to play. And the defensive play of the game, poking the ball away to seal the victory. that capped a perfect 50-0 record in group play as Turkey advanced to the knockout round. Afterwards, Shenun showed his respect. Jokic is one of the best players in the world. Rather, he’s the best as of recently to play and get this win against him was really important for us. As for me, I also had the extra motivation for this game. So, we’re happy and I’m happy I’ve played well and we won. These two stars haven’t faced off in the NBA postseason yet, but with the Nuggets and Rockets both drastically improving this off season, a high stakes playoff showdown could come as soon as 2026. Shenun won’t be asked to carry the offensive load does, especially now that Houston added Kevin Durant. But the thought of a best of seven between these two is absolutely mouthwatering. Make no mistake, it’s not just Europe that Shenun is putting unnotice. It’s the NBA, too. With the Rockets long rebuild finally rounding into form, Durant now in the mix and ShenGun continuing to dominate, Houston might just be the next face of the Western Conference. If you’re sleeping on Alpin Shenun, now’s the time to wake up because the NBA has a Shangon problem and it’s only getting worse. Comment below if you think Shenun will be an allstar again next season. And remember to like the video and subscribe for more videos just like this one.

Alperen Sengun is quickly becoming one of the most unique and unstoppable young big men in the NBA, and the rest of the league is starting to realize it. In this video, we break down why the Houston Rockets star is creating a massive problem for defenses everywhere and how his game is changing the way we look at modern centers.

Standing 6’11” with elite footwork, crafty scoring touch, and incredible passing vision, Sengun draws comparisons to Nikola Jokic — but with his own twist. He can bully defenders in the post, hit mid-range shots, and run the offense like a point guard, making him one of the most versatile bigs in the league. At just 23 years old, his ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor makes him the true cornerstone of Houston’s rebuild.

We’ll analyze Sengun’s best games, his chemistry with Amen Thompson and potential with Kevin Durant, and why Ime Udoka’s system allows him to thrive. The Rockets have a star in the making, and the NBA better be ready for what’s coming.

If you love NBA highlights and rising stars, this is a must-watch.

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