Joel Embiid no longer former teammate's pick for 'best center' he's ever played with

One former Philadelphia 76ers player no longer sees Joel Embiid as the best center he’s ever shared the court with.

Longtime Sixers sharpshooter Furkan Korkmaz spoke to reporters Tuesday after his Turkish men’s national team made it to the EuroBasket semifinals. Seven Turkish players scored in double figures in a total team effort, with none of them breaching the 20-point plateau. But it was clear one player stood out: Houston Rockets big man Alperen Sengun.

Furkan Korkmaz has high praise for Alperen Sengun

Sengun finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to lead Turkey in all three categories during the team’s 91-77 win over Poland. Korkmaz felt the performance finally propelled Sengun above Embiid, at least in his eyes.

“Until now, I [had thought] Joel Embiid was the best player, best center that I [have played with]. But I think we can tell that it’s Alperen [Sengun] now,” Korkmaz said during his postgame news conference.

“It’s great to be around him, you know. He’s enjoying playing basketball. He helps us a lot on the court, defensively and offensively. I think he’s a special kid. Every day, he’s trying to give his maximum. This year, we’re also seeing that he’s playing aggressive defense too, not only offense. … I hope that he still has a long way to go. He’s going to grow a lot.”