Rockets' Turkish Big Man Looks Like Himself in EuroBasket

The Houston Rockets' star big man, Alperen Sengun, is putting the basketball world on notice with his performance in the 2025 EuroBasket tournament. He leads the Turkish national team as its best player, creating opportunities for himself, his teammates, and playing impactful defense when necessary. Sengun has played well during this summer tournament, and it should carry over to the regular season in the fall.

One of the main critiques of Sengun's game last season was his decreased efficiency from the floor. He struggled to finish around the rim as well as he historically has, and jump shots were not a consistent weapon in his offensive game.

In EuroBasket, it seems Sengun is playing more freely with his scoring and his passing. He isn't looking off open threes or jumpers. He's letting shots fly and getting back to his spectacular passes that have become his signature.

NBA player Cedi Osman was the recipient of one of Sengun's best passes of the tournament with his no-look, behind-the-back bounce pass for an easy score. It would be easy to imagine Amen Thompson or Tari Eason filling that lane after an offensive rebound during the NBA season.

Sengun has also done a quality job passing the ball out to shooters for Turkey.

Furkan Korkmaz has hit some big shots for the team after deliveries from Sengun. When he returns to playing for the Rockets, he'll have Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Fred VanVleet, and Dorian Finney-Smith to spread the floor and knock down shots from the perimeter.

It's not only his teammates who will be hitting shots from the perimeter; Sengun has turned his perimeter shooting into a legitimate weapon during EuroBasket.

He shoots 3-pointers with confidence, no longer hesitating before letting deep shots fly. He has also been more confident with his push shots and floaters in the lane when he takes an opposing defender off the dribble from the perimeter.

Many of his skills with handling the ball and making decisions look like they've improved throughout the tournament, which bodes well for the Rockets when the season begins.

There are some things Sengun will still be working on for the NBA season.

He can often find himself in a bad position on the block, waiting too long for double teams to crowd him and forcing him to make a tough pass. He's had some difficult turnovers throughout the tournament, but it's a fair uptick in giveaways since he's the highest usage player on the team.

The Rockets will be able to have Sengun in a slightly different role, but they'll be happy seeing that he can be one of the team's best scorers and players for next season.