Each different era, a participant adjustments how his place is taught, scouted and performed. For the present era of gamers getting into their prime years, that dude is Nikola Jokić. The “Joker” has taken the passing acumen of former bigs Vlade Divac, Yao Ming, Invoice Walton and Arvydas Sabonis and mixed it with the bodily assertion of Kevin McHale, Patrick Ewing and Tim Duncan to create one thing worthy of an epoch. However we’re not right here to speak about Jokić. We’re right here to speak about his acolyte, Alperen Şengün. The Houston Rockets’ third-year middle and Turkish sensation is subsequent in line of European gamers starting to dominate the NBA panorama.
Şengün has already been dubbed “Child Jokić” as a result of similarities of their offensive video games and passing abilities. He burst onto the worldwide basketball scene because the MVP of the Turkish League in 2021, placing up stats of 19.2 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.7 BPG on insane 65/19/81 taking pictures splits. And the Turkish tower hasn’t been remiss to rely Jokić as inspiration for his full recreation, as he did just lately on Paul George’s podcast, “Podcast P.”
“You realize, Jokić isn’t a social media man, he cares about basketball and household,” Şengün mentioned. “However he’s an important man and European. After the sport he’s coming as much as me saying good job, nice job, stick with it. All this nice stuff, it’s nice for me. I like not making an attempt to play like him, however like you understand, our video games are comparable.”
Like Jokić, Şengün dominates operation out of the excessive submit, discovering reducing guards or slipping into the brief roll the place he leverages high-volume playmaking. In dribble-hand-off conditions, Şengün can function on the perimeter with one hand, utilizing his large 6-11 body to create separation from his defender, in addition to his teammate on the swap, earlier than handing off a crisp move to fellow Rockets guards coming off screens. Jokić can do that, too, for a lot longer than Şengün. However the younger stud is doing it faster in his profession than when Jokić got here into the league, surpassing the 20 ppg metric a season sooner than Jokić did.
However Şengün thrives in numerous methods, too. This season, he has improved his lengthy mid-range photographs from 32% final season (19 whole FGA) to 48% this season (40 whole FGA). The double-teams this attracts permit for extra spacing for Rockets cutters, permitting him to make use of his elite passing to catch them for straightforward buckets.
In keeping with Cleansing the Glass, his on/off numbers present his staggering affect on the Rockets’ offense and protection: +4.8 differential, +4.9 factors per possession, +3% eFG, -3.9% offensive rebound charge % and -8.2 free throw charge.
Even final 12 months, when the Rockets have been nonetheless below the misguided hand of Stephen Silas, who guided them to the worst report within the NBA for 3 straight seasons, Şengün might present magnetic promise. As a sophomore, Şengün was the primary 20-year-old middle to submit an help charge increased than 20%. He hit 19% his rookie season, completed with 21% his second season and presently holds a 26% help charge.
It’s honest to say Sengün is a greater athlete than Jokić, or at the least he seems so on the courtroom, due to a lighter body and extra lateral mobility on the block. This translated to Şengün reaching 77 dunks final 12 months whereas Jokić had 21. Şengün had 70 blocks final 12 months, Jokić had 47. If Şengün stays wholesome and in form, he might surpass Jokić’s potential as a rim runner and shot blocker.
As talked about, Şengün’s per-36 numbers barely surpass Jokić’s on the identical age. In his second 12 months, Şengün put up 18.4 factors, 10.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per 36 with a 59.9 true taking pictures share on 21.4 p.c utilization. Jokić, at 20, produced 16.5 factors, 11.6 rebounds, and three.9 assists per 36 minutes with a 58.2 true taking pictures share on 19.9 p.c utilization. That’s to not say Şengün will find yourself pretty much as good as Jokić, who already has one championship and appears primed for extra. It’s not hyperbole to say Şengün has the instruments to be nearly pretty much as good, which will probably be sufficient to make him the very best large man within the recreation as soon as Jokić ages out. There may be already a case for Şengün to be the second-best large within the NBA proper now, with career-high averages of 21.8 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 4.6 APG whereas taking pictures 54% from the sphere.
Shifting away from the stats and fixating on the attention take a look at, Şengün has that “dawg mentality” that separates stars from superstars. In a current recreation in opposition to the Bulls on Jan. 11, Şengün was scoreless within the first half. Realizing they might lose if he didn’t flip it on, Şengün went nuclear contained in the United Middle, erupting for 25 factors on a blistering 11-of-19 taking pictures. He wasn’t only a scoring machine, although, grabbing a 9 rebounds and dispensing 5 dimes to maintain the offense buzzing. This dominant show marks the tenth time in 11 video games that Şengün has gone for 20 or extra factors, together with a trio of mind-blowing 30-point performances. It went from the worst efficiency to the very best of his profession in only a half.
The Rockets changing Silas with Ime Udoka, the very best motivator within the NBA, has reworked Şengün’s protection. He went from a 116.6 defensive ranking final season to 109 this season. That’s .5 higher than Jokić this season. Final season, the Rockets have been twenty eighth in defensive ranking. This 12 months, they’re sixth. That’s the Udoka impact. He calls for nothing lower than full engagement on that finish.
And the younger middle appears to like Udoka’s powerful love teaching fashion,
“I like powerful coaches,” he mentioned. “Generally I lose my [concentration]. I really feel like after I’m working with coaches [who get] mad I feel that makes me get up. It’s good for me.”
The place Şengün wants to enhance is on the perimeter. Jokić has a profession common of 35% from three. Şengün is taking pictures 28% this season. However seeing how a lot Udoka has improved him on protection, nothing appears not possible for the Turkish star. Just a few gamers can say their ceiling is fully as much as them. Şengün, like Jokić, belongs to this membership.