Player comparisons are an integral part of the game of basketball as they often serve as benchmarks for rising stars. The NBA world is witnessing one such instance right now as the parallels between Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun become apparent with time. The Houston Rockets youngster himself shed light on the matter as he joined Paul George in the latest episode of Podcast P with Paul George.
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Sengun at first gave Nikola his props for being a focused athlete in the modern game. He mentioned, “Jokic is there like not social media guys and other things. He just cares about basketball and family”. “He’s great guy and he’s European,” the 21-year-old stated before adding, “I can say all European bigs and other players so close to each other”.
This closeness benefited the Turkish star as the 2x MVP took notice of him and his actions. He indicated the same, mentioning, “Jokic saw of course what I’m thinking like what I’m saying about him”. “Every after the game, he’s coming to me like saying, ‘Good job Alpe. Great job. Keep it up’. Always giving me like good talk which is great for me,” the 6’11 center revealed.
Yet, the Rockets star expressed his desire to make a name for himself in the league. Despite the ongoing comparisons, he emphasized creating his own identity in the NBA while acknowledging the source of resemblance. “Not trying to play like him but our games is similar,” the international player pointed out while discussing his thoughts.
The meteoric rise of Alperen Sengun
Alperen entered the 2021 NBA draft after spending three years as a professional player in Turkey. The Oklahoma City Thunder selected him as the first-round 16th overall pick before trading him to Houston. Since then, Sengun never had to look back as he became a key part of the Rockets’ rebuilt young core.
The 2021 Turkish League MVP featured in 72 matches in his rookie season as a bench player. In the following campaign, he became a starter as all of his stats received a massive hike. It solidified his place in the franchise’s starting five, making his leap to the stardom imminent.
Thus, his gameplay caught the attention of not only Jokic but several other stars of the NBA. The former Rockets star, James Harden, admired Alperen during an NBA game as revealed by the youngster in the podcast. “I’m so proud of you,” Harden said to him, as Sengun highlighted, “It was a great moment. I’m never gonna forget. I can always talk about it”.
Kevin Durant was another one on the list as he previously admitted to being a fan of the center. The 2x champion had once stated, “I was going to give some love to Alperen Sengun. I like Sengun”. With his influence in the league beginning to grow with time, the upcoming endeavors of Alperen would certainly be exciting to watch.
