Ergin Ataman is one of the winningest coaches in Europe. He has won the EuroLeague three times, with back-to-back titles in 2021 and ’22. He has coached teams in Greece and Turkey to championships. Now, as head coach of Turkey’s national team, he talked about one of the team’s brightest stars, Alperen Sengun. According to Ataman, there is no reason to believe that the Sengun vs Nikola Jokic debate cannot become closer in the next several years. He believes in the superstar potential of his big man.
Turkish Coach Sets the Bar: Sengun Can Be Better Than Jokic
For the last few years, Sengun has actually been called “Baby Jokic” by some people. But as it often happens, the student might become better than the master. Ataman certainly hopes that it can be the case. Speaking on the Sengun vs Jokic debate, he said,
“All of these players are good players. Sengun is a young player now, a young talent, 23 years old. I hope that in the future, he will be better than Jokic.”
Right now, it is hard to imagine someone becoming better than Jokic in the next 10 to 15 years. Nikola has been dominating the NBA, winning three regular-season MVPs in the last five years and finishing second. The last player who finished top two in MVP voting in five consecutive years was Larry Bird. Jokic also led the Denver Nuggets to an NBA Championship. Sengun, on the other hand, made the playoffs for the first time last season, but lost in the first round. However, we have to admit, he was quite good in the playoffs. But there is time for the young Turkish big man to further develop and grow his game.
Sengun On a Great Trajectory
If we look at the career trajectories of Jokic and Sengun, they are almost the same. Both made the All-Star team in their fourth season, but Jokic was a year older.
We have to note though, that Sengun was the 16th overall pick. Before coming to the NBA, he won the 2021 Turkish League MVP. Now, while most people were not expecting him to be this good, there were expectations of him. Jokic, on the other hand, was a late second-round pick.
But if Sengun continues to work on his game, trains hard, and puts effort into winning, there is no reason for him not to become as great. Yes, Nikola has won three MVPs in the last five seasons, and finished second when he didn’t win it. But he won his first MVP in his sixth season, at the age of 25. Sengun still has plenty of time to get there. With Kevin Durant now on the Rockets, Sengun may learn about winning even more from one of the best players in league history.
Sengun vs Jokic Head-to-Head
The two European big men have played each other 10 times so far in the NBA. Jokic leads the matchup with six wins. Eight times, the Serbian MVP has scored more points than Sengun. If you look at their numbers, Jokic clearly dominates the matchup. But we have to remember: Nikola is an established MVP, while Sengun has yet to hit his prime. Sengun entered the league when Jokic was winning MVP awards.
The two will also meet at the FIBA EuroBasket in the Group stage (2:15 EST) today. With both teams (Serbia and Turkey) among the favorites for a medal, they might not meet again until the end of the tournament.
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