Rookie Alperen Sengun did not hold a grudge against the Thunder after being traded to the Houston Rockets, but was grateful, saying he would work harder against other teams that didn't draft him, including the Sacramento Kings.
In an interview, Sengun said, "Sacramento, I remember you!"In the two games against the Kings this season, Alperen Sengun combined for 32 points, 17 rebounds and 18 assists, with plus/minus of +27 and +30, respectively, putting a lot of pressure on the Kings. The Kings missed the opportunity to have Alperen Sengun.
That year, they invited talented Turkish center Alperen Sengun to a tryout, when they had the No. 9 pick. Sengun was so happy about it that he traveled to Sacramento and posted about the local arena on social **. However, when the Kings drafted Davion Mitchell with the No. 9 pick, Sengun was taken by surprise. Subsequently, Sengun was drafted by the Thunder and traded to the Rockets.
In an interview, Sengun admitted that he was expecting to be drafted with a top-10 pick and was a little disappointed with the result. Why would the king choose Mitchell over Sengun?At the time, NBA scouts considered Mitchell to be one of the best guards of the class, with excellent physicality, breaking, shooting, playmaking and defensive abilities that allowed him to adapt quickly to the game and provide combat prowess.
However, the 25-year-old Mitchell is averaging just 17 minutes per game and has a five1 point, 12 rebounds and 26 assists. He set career lows in both scoring and playing time, shooting 362% and 29 percent from three-point range3%。In defensive efficiency, he ranks 202nd in the league.
As a height of only 1At 83 meters, Mitchell's shooting consistency is not high, and his performance is not even as good as the Rockets' lower-paid Aaron Holiday. The Kings offered Mitchell a four-year, $20.95 million contract, while Sengun dropped to No. 16 and could only get a four-year, $15.55 million contract. This made Sengun unhappy, and naturally he would try to defeat the king.
Ironically, the Kings later traded for a center with similar characteristics to Alperen Sengun, namely Sabonis Jr., and had to sacrifice Haliburton, a high-profile player this season, in order to get them. The Rockets' Sengon has developed into a top-tier defender and has shown remarkable performances this season, especially against Savoy.
There is ** said that through the 2-for-1 trade, the Rockets got a real No. 1 pick, which is undoubtedly a huge victory. Foreign media recently reranked the 2023 draft, placing Alperen Sengun at No. 1, Barnes at No. 2, Mobley at No. 3, Wagner at No. 4, Green at No. 5, and Cunningham at No. 6.
This is despite Cunningham averaging 22 per game this season4 points, 39 rebounds and 73 assists, but his team didn't give people a prospect. And Barnes is averaging 19 points per game this season6 points, 9 rebounds1 and 5 assists5 times, 1 steal8 times and 1 capThe three times are also impressive. The Raptors have a strong roster, but they are only 11th in the East.
In comparison, Sengun averaged just 14 points per game last season8 points, but this season his performance has soared to 21 points and 9 rebounds2 and 5 assists5 times, 0 steals9 times and 0 caps8 times. The Rockets have also transformed from last season's underdogs into a disciplined and competitive team. Despite a difficult start, the Rockets still managed to go 8-9.
Sengon has made a great contribution to it and has been praised by Uduka many times. Before the draft, Sengun was only 2At 08 meters, the Rockets didn't even try him out alone, which was quite surprising. However, in retrospect, the decision seems wise.
Rockets assistant coach Split revealed in an interview with the Houston Chronicle: "When you teach some players in practice, you have to do multiple Xi over a few days, but for Sengun, you demonstrate once is enough. The next day the game will be ready for use. Sengun may not have the athletic talent of Green, but he has an extraordinary IQ and Xi ability. At only 21 years old, he still has a lot of room to grow.
Stone's trade and draft pick have been questioned by a large number of fans, and Sengun has become his fig leaf.