A new monarch has ascended in European basketball. Forget the “young prospect” narrative; Alperen Sengun is here, commanding the hardwood with the swagger of a seasoned veteran, and the EuroBasket 2025 stage is his kingdom.
The Night a Star Was Forged: Conquering the Joker
In the high-stakes theater of EuroBasket 2025, few matchups carried more weight than Turkey versus Serbia. On one side stood Nikola Jokic, a reigning titan of the NBA, widely considered the most complete player on the planet. On the other, a 23-year-old Turkish center, Alperen Sengun, who entered the tournament as an exciting, albeit still developing, talent. What transpired was a stunning changing of the guard, if only for one unforgettable evening.
Sengun didn`t just compete with Jokic; he outplayed him, outmaneuvered him, and ultimately, outwilled him. In a performance that sent shockwaves across the continent, Sengun delivered a stat line of 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists – a near triple-double masterclass. Jokic, for all his brilliance, could only muster 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. More critically, it was Sengun who made the decisive plays in the clutch, sinking crucial free throws and forcing a game-sealing steal that secured a monumental victory for Turkey.
This wasn`t merely a personal triumph; it was a declarative statement. Sengun, the modest (or perhaps, realistically confident) player who once declared, “If I`m on my day, nobody can guard me,” had truly arrived.
A Statistical Anomaly Leading the Charge
Sengun’s stellar performance against Serbia is far from an isolated incident. Across five undefeated games for Turkey in the tournament, his statistics read like the output of a created player in a video game: an astounding 21.6 points per game (ranking sixth overall), shot at an efficient 66% from the field and 82% from the free-throw line. Add to that a dominant 9.6 rebounds per game (fourth overall) and an incredible 6.8 assists per game (third overall) for a center, and you have a player redefining the position. Standing at just over 206 centimeters (6`9″), he`s not the tallest center, but his impact is gargantuan.
His game is a delightful blend of old-school post wizardry and modern playmaking. With a dazzling array of hook shots, pivots, and exquisite passes, Sengun is proving to be a true offensive hub, capable of scoring, facilitating, and controlling the tempo from the low block.
Two Coaches, Two Philosophies: The Rockets` Quandary
Turkey`s fiery head coach, Ergin Ataman, has been Sengun`s most vocal advocate. His famous (and somewhat provocative) quip, “With Sengun, I could beat the Rockets with Panathinaikos,” perfectly encapsulates his belief in his star player. Ataman has deliberately built Turkey`s offense around Sengun`s unique skill set, allowing him to operate as the primary initiator from the post, leveraging his exceptional passing vision and back-to-the-basket scoring ability. This approach has unleashed Sengun`s full potential.
This contrasts sharply with his perceived role at the Houston Rockets under coach Ime Udoka. While Sengun earned an All-Star Game nod in 2025, his scoring output reportedly dipped last season. Udoka`s Rockets, at least in their current iteration, prioritize defense and athleticism, a stylistic choice that, perhaps ironically, doesn`t always fully exploit Sengun`s more nuanced, cerebral game. The arrival of a hypothetical future star like Kevin Durant, as speculated in some circles, could further complicate Sengun`s offensive centrality in Houston. It leaves one to ponder: are NBA teams, in their pursuit of athletic prototypes, sometimes missing the forest for the trees when it comes to unique, technically brilliant talents like Sengun?
Turkish basketball has a rich tradition of skilled big men, from Hedo Turkoglu to Mehmet Okur and Enes Kanter. Sengun is not merely inheriting this legacy; he is elevating it. If the Rockets truly aspire to championship contention, they may need to learn a lesson from Ataman: embrace and amplify Sengun`s singular talents, rather than try to fit a square peg into a round hole.
Turkey`s Road to Redemption and Gold
By topping Group D with a flawless record, Turkey has carved out a remarkably favorable path through the EuroBasket knockout stage. Their journey to the final in Riga looks, on paper, surprisingly clear: a Round of 16 clash against the less-fancied Sweden, followed by a quarterfinal against the winner of Bosnia-Poland. An eventual semifinal against formidable opponents like Greece or Lithuania, while challenging, no longer seems insurmountable.
Coach Ataman, never one to shy away from ambition, has set the bar high. “In 90 years as a national team, we have won no medals apart from silver in 2001, but back then we hosted the tournament. We want a podium finish.” And buoyed by Sengun`s performances, he`s escalated that aspiration: “We are aiming for gold.”
With his array of elegant hook shots, powerful dunks, pinpoint assists, relentless rebounding, and the unshakeable confidence of a player who fears no challenge – just ask Jokic – Alperen Sengun is no longer merely studying to be a phenomenon. He has decisively become one. The future, both for him and for Turkish basketball, looks dazzlingly bright, possibly even golden.
