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Apr 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) warms up before the game against the Utah Jazz at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Alperen Sengun Shot 3-Pointer with Confidence in Türkiye's Win over Estonia

Originally posted on Houston Rockets on SI
By Lachard Binkley | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Over the last two decades, the Turkish national team has not had much success in the EuroBasket tournament. Turkiye has not won a major medal since 2001, and that was its first-ever medal in the tournament. Alperen Sengun wasn't even born yet, and since 2001, it has been a struggle for his home country in the biggest tournament in European basketball.

Coming into this year's tournament, most of the talk centered around teams like Serbia, Spain, Latvia, and even Slovenia. Türkiye came in ranked 27th in FIBA Basketball, but through four group play games, they are tied for the best record and have the second-best point differential. A significant reason for their strong start has been Sengun's play on both sides of the court.

Sengun has done it all so far in the tournament, averaging 20 points, 8.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and shooting over 82 percent from the free-throw line. The free-throw shooting is an excellent sign for Sengun, who has struggled from the line over the last two seasons, especially in last season's playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.

Alperen Sengun shooting with confidence from 3-point range in win over Estonia.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Another area Sengun has struggled throughout his career is from the 3-point line, but in the win over Estonia, Sengun shot with confidence. Through the first three games, Sengun had only shot a total of three shots from beyond the arc in Turkiye's first three wins. In its win Monday, Sengun made went 2-3 from deep as he tried to stretch the floor with Estonia sending double and triple teams at him any time he was in the paint.

It wasn't just the fact that he made two 3-pointers; it was how confident Sengun looked on all three attempts. At times throughout his NBA career, Sengun has been hesitant to shoot from deep. Teams have dared him at times to shoot from the outside, as they realize how dominant he is in the paint, and he has struggled shooting from anywhere outside of 15 feet.

Every training camp, Sengun has talked about wanting to be more aggressive from 3-point range, as it would open up his entire offensive game and force teams to have to guard him all over the court. That would open up opportunities for players like Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, and Jabari Smith to get the basket and driving opportunities for Sengun, as he has the speed advantage over most opposing centers.

With the Rockets having lofty goals coming into the upcoming season, even more will be expected from Sengun coming off his first All-Star season. If he can continue to shoot with confidence as he has in the EuroBasket tournament and improve his 3-point shooting from 27.2%, he could be in line for another career year.

This article first appeared on Houston Rockets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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