Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun is one of the biggest names in the upcoming EuroBasket 2025.
The Turkey international will be joined by Nikola Jokic (Serbia), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), and Luka Doncic (Slovenia) at the tournament.
Sengun also has some past and present NBA players as teammates, such as Adem Bona, Cedi Osman, and Shane Larkin.
Larkin spoke at length about the Rockets star before Turkey’s opening game against co-hosts Latvia, even predicting his potential.
Photo by Christina Pahnke – sampics/Getty ImagesShane Larkin thinks Alperen Sengun can become an NBA superstar
Larkin was born and raised in the United States, but he received Turkish citizenship in 2020 while playing for Istanbul-based club Anadolu Efes.
He has since played with Sengun several times for the Turkish national team and seen his development into a top player.
“I think we all can see it,” Larkin told BasketNews. “Alpi has grown into an NBA All-Star, one of the best players in the NBA, and he has the talent to continue to grow.”
“When he first came here, he was a rookie, like you said, and there were a lot of things that he needed to work on to become more efficient.
“And I think with his style and the way that he’s played in the NBA and the way they’ve allowed him to make mistakes in order to take those steps have been important for him. I think the sky’s the limit.”
Larkin even believes that Sengun can become a superstar player in the NBA because there is still so much he can improve on.
“I think there are still many things that he can add to his game to make him even better, one of the top 10 players in the NBA just because of his raw skills and everything he can do with the ball,” he added.
“So I think this is a great tournament for him to continue to take steps in that direction and play in a different kind of style of basketball. And I’m just excited to be able to play with him, excited to see how he continues to grow.”
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty ImagesShane Larkin names Alperen Sengun the best center he has played with
Larkin, who played four seasons in the NBA with four different teams, named Sengun as the best center he has ever played with.
The point guard’s greatest teammate was Dirk Nowitski, who he played with on the Dallas Mavericks in the 2013-14 season, but he was a power forward.
“I’ve been playing a long time, man. That’s a tough question,” Larkin answered. “But I mean, I think he’s the only NBA center that I played with who was an All-Star.
“So, if you count Dirk as a four, obviously, he can’t really go against that. But yeah, I would say thus far he’s probably the best center that I’ve played with.”