Advertisement - scroll for more content
Alperen Sengun Rumors
The Turkish Basketball Federation announced the preliminary roster of the national team for the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket. Houston Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun headlines a roster of 16 players. The list also includes Philadelphia 76ers forward/center Adem Bona who is expected to make his debut with the Turkish national team. EuroLeague superstar guard Shane Larkin will be the naturalized player of the “12 Giant Men” in his return to a major tournament after the 2022 EuroBasket. Turkey’s full preliminary roster: Adem Bona, Alperen Sengun, Berk Ugurlu, Cedi Osman, Ercan Osmani, Erkan Yilmaz, Furkan Korkmaz, Kenan Sipahi, Onuralp Bitim, Omer Yurtseven, Maxim Mutaf, Sertac Sanli, Shane Larkin, Sehmus Hazer, Yigit Arslan, Yigitcan Saybir.
Rockets unwilling to trade Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson for Kevin Durant
The Rockets, however, have been unwilling to part with 22-year-old First Team All-Defensive selection Amen Thompson in trade talks, league sources told HoopsHype. It’s believed that Houston would also not want to part with 22-year-old All-Star Alperen Sengun in talks for Durant.
Jalen Green wants to stay in Houston
At one point, team sources say, Phoenix was determined to regain control of its draft capital (first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and swap rights in 2029) and at another, was seeking multiple young talents like Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green. Recently, forward Jabari Smith Jr.’s name has come up pertaining to the Suns’ interest, team and league sources say. Green, whose name has been connected to Durant and other stars in trade rumors, is determined to improve upon his playoff struggles and wants to stay in Houston, league sources say. But the Rockets have largely been uninterested in breaking up their depth, even for a future Hall of Famer. There’s also the question of his age and injury history — juxtaposed with the timeline of Houston’s young core — and the tradeoff that comes with championship-chasing and development.
Houston has optionality, this trade can be structured in many different ways. Houston would be open to trading Alperen Sengun, league sources told NBC Sports, but the Bucks may be higher on a Jalen Green-based trade (depending on how they rate Green). Jabari Smith Jr. is likely part of any deal, and the Rockets have a lot of future first-round picks — their own and others, such as Brooklyn and Phoenix picks — that could be part of the trade. It likely takes a third team to make the math work, but it’s very doable.
Draymond Green to Alperen Sengun: 'Flop a little less. Embellish a little less'
“Got a lot of respect for him,” said Green of Sengun. “You know, I’ve played against a lot of guys. I always tell people that in playoff series one of two things happen: Either you completely lose respect for someone or you gain a lot of respect for someone … You get to see who is really real. So Sengun is real. He ain’t back down at all. “[But] what I would say to Sengun — flop a little less. Embellish a little less,” Green continued. “Because with a defender like me. Imma feed off that. He real, he physical, he ain’t backing down … A lot of respect for him.”
Advertisement
Kendrick Perkins: Kevin Durant is going to end up in the Houston Rocket uniform. They have the pieces. If I'm the Rockets, I'm going all in. Jabari Smith, Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, and some picks for Kevin Durant. And don't come give me Kevin Durant don't have it no more. The one thing Kevin Durant will do when he gets to Houston is respect Ime Udoka because we know they have a great relationship. You pair him alongside the Thompson twin with Sengun, Fred VanVleet, the Rockets looking to make some noise. That was the one thing that they were missing in this series was a closer and Kevin Durant provides that.
Prevailing, 103-89, in Toyota Center on Sunday sent the team coached by Steve Kerr to the next round. “I learned a lot. First time in the Playoffs, for me,” the 22-year-old Turkish center replied to a question about facing Draymond Green in a best-of-seven series, “Aggressiveness in defense, play both ways. Just try to win, try to help my teammates.” “Obviously, he is one of the best defenders, all-time. It was great to play against him,” he added in a postgame press conference, “I have a lot to work on, and making all those easy shots. I will work a lot this offseason on those shots and come back even stronger next year. And hopefully make those next year in the Playoffs.”
“I learned real basketball,” he described overall postseason experience: “We learned how to play together. We played a team over and over seven times. So, just trying to stay together, talk every day. It was just a hard series for us.” “I think I improved my defense this season, but I have to work a lot more on my offense. I didn’t have a great year on offense. I was even better last year, I would say,” Sengun also went into his offseason plans, “I’m just going to focus on that, on my body, my touch, everything. A long summer is waiting for me. So, I have a lot to do.”
A few seconds earlier, Adams had pushed teammate Alperen Şengün toward the left block to keep an eye on Warriors center Draymond Green, so that Adams could be ready to help in the middle of the floor. In Houston’s shapeshifting zone defense, every player is a cog that keeps the entire machine running smoothly. “It’s a weird zone,” Adams said. “Yeah, I don’t know. It’s just like a bizarre one, but it works.” In the Rockets’ Game 6 win, the zone defense was key to stopping the Warriors in the fourth quarter. Golden State missed 13 shots in a row and committed three turnovers in a nearly seven-minute span against it, allowing Houston to expand its lead from four points to 13.
Advertisement
With a Rockets team averaging 26 years of age, VanVleet’s cool and calm leadership has been very important for this team. The 2019 NBA champion’s leadership will certainly be needed tonight in the biggest game in many of his teammate’s careers. “He’s leading us on the court, off the court and we’ve been letting him do that,” Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun said after Game 6. “So, even when he wasn’t playing this [season], he was still leading us. He was saying, ‘I don’t want to talk. I hate talking when I’m not playing.’ But still, we needed that. And he came back, leading us all time. And we let him do that.”
Rockets force Game 7
ClutchPoints: The Rockets pull away in the 4th quarter to take down the Warriors in the Bay and force a winner take all game in Houston 🚀 Fred VanVleet: 29 points 7-of-13 FG 8 rebounds 6-of-9 3PT 8 assists Alperen Sengun: 21 points 6 assists 14 rebounds 3 steals
Those accusations have made the rounds on social media the past few days, after a Game 3 play on which Brooks appeared to target Curry’s thumb after he released a long-range shot. Warriors broadcaster Bob Fitzgerald then raised the issue during Wednesday night’s NBC Sports Bay Area telecast, saying Brooks was “whacking” Curry’s hand “with intent.” Brooks did not exactly deny the charges. “I’m playing the game,” he said in a postgame news conference, sitting alongside teammate Alperen Sengün. “Shoot, if you’re going to come play the game injured, whatever you’ve got, it’s all about the game. If I had an injured ankle, I would attack that ankle every single time. So whatever they’re saying on the broadcast, they can keep saying it.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement