The group phase of FIBA’s EuroBasket 2025 is underway. Having some professional basketball to watch again surely comes as a relief to NBA fans across the league. However, Houston Rockets fans are among the privileged few who actually get to watch their franchise player. After being named an All-Star for the first time in 2024-25, 23-year-old center Alperen Sengun is attempting to lead the Turkish national team to a medal.
Rockets fans will cheer along and enjoy the show. They’ll also be watching for any clue as to what kind of season Sengun will have for Houston next season. Taking that into account, one detail in particular will stand out.
What Rockets Fans Should Watch Out For In Alperen Sengun’s EuroBasket
International basketball has a lot going for it. Without the consistently available outlier athleticism of the NBA, tactical play-calling and team cohesion can be more pronounced difference makers. If you happen to be a fan of one of the few NBA All-Star-caliber players participating, it’s also a chance to see them push themselves to their limits. Sengun is one such player and he and basketball fandom are still finding out where exactly his limits lie. Incidentally, another highlight is the EuroBasket’s GIF player portraits.
The Hogwarts vibe should make “the Wizard” feel right at home.
Sengun has certainly looked at home in the first two games of the competition. Sengun scored 23 points on just 9 field goal attempts in their victory over Czechia. He also had his second straight game leading Turkey in assists. He handed out seven assists when they blew out Latvia, to go along with 16 points, and nine versus Czechia. What’s especially encouraging for Sengun is that he was even able to slightly reduce his turnovers in the second game. He went from five cough-ups in their game against Latvia to three against Czechia.
The Keys
Managing his turnovers as a playmaker is the key for Sengun, and it’s the number one thing for Rockets fans to keep their eye on.
Sengun’s billing as a top-tier passing big man is well-deserved. But one of the most difficult things to do in basketball is passing effectively out of double teams in the post. You have your back to the majority of the defense. Everybody is looking at you. The largest defenders on the court are usually converging on you. Not to mention that it’s a rare combination of skills to have the size to demand a double in the post and the hand-eye coordination to make fast, accurate passes.
Sengun saw a drop in his efficiency in his fourth year in the league.
A big part of that was his commitment to improving on the defensive end. Another contributor was the league’s increasingly refined approach to double-teaming him, which he’ll continue to see in Year 5. Even with another double-magnet in Kevin Durant on board, Sengun’s talent is so pronounced his gravity is distinct. The good news for Rockets fans is that he won’t come into the season rusty. The doubles this EuroBasket will keep coming and so far, he’s been showing good patience and creativity in how he handles them.
The Competition Going Forward
It’s worth noting that Czechia is not considered a particularly strong team in this year’s competition. Other members of group A, Portugal and Estonia, are similarly rated. Latvia has the sixth-best odds to win the whole thing, according to some bookmakers, but that’s partly just accounting for the Riga homecourt advantage. The Turks will get their first proper test next Wednesday when they play Serbia, the tournament odds-on favorite.
That isn’t to say that the other games will or have been easy for Turkey. Sengun has needed every bit of help he’s gotten from fellow countrymen and former NBA players Cedi Osman and Shane Larkin. It’s no use passing out of double-teams if your targets can’t convert them into baskets, after all. He’ll have to keep being the steady playmaking hub that Turkey needs and his countrymen will have to keep finishing those plays.
The Last Word
Sengun won’t be asked to shoulder the same weight for the Rockets as he is for the Turkish side. With Durant, who continues to be an offense unto himself, there’s simply a lot less pressure. On the other hand, even with fewer responsibilities, he still might average more assists just from being able to pass to one of the greatest scorers the league has ever seen.
Of, course, if he improves his playmaking skills, then the Rockets may have no choice but to play through him more. Rockets fans can watch for themselves to see if they think it’s the right move.
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