Alperen Şengün Spoke to a Turkish Newspaper. [source](https://www.fanatik.com.tr/basketbol/nbadeki-milli-gururumuz-alperen-sengun-ilk-kez-fanatike-konustu-all-star-aciklamasi-2534653)
Alperen Şengün, who went directly to the NBA without competing in the EuroLeague, said about this process: “I think this is all about personal preparation. I had prepared myself very well psychologically to come to the NBA. I was fully prepared to fight here. I did my best in the training camps before the draft. But I wasn’t satisfied with just that. I have continued to work hard since the first day I stepped into the NBA. I’m trying to improve my game and physical structure. If I don’t keep doing these things, I can’t improve. I have big goals and dreams regarding my career. Because I am someone who enjoys success and is satisfied. “I will fight until the end to achieve these,” he said.
Alperen Şengün, who went to the NBA after Beşiktaş and became the youngest MVP of that season, described the excitement he experienced and the draft night with these words: “That good season, in which I was selected as the youngest MVP in history, increased my self-confidence and shaped the process of going to the NBA. accelerated. I was planning to go after 1-2 years. But going to the NBA was always on my mind. When I went to America before the draft, I trained with many teams, but I did not train with Oklahoma, which selected me, nor with Houston, where I was traded. In that respect, it seemed a little strange to be preferred by these two teams. Draft night was also a very special experience for me. After all, it is an experience you can have once in your life. My excitement continued all night, even after I was selected by Oklahoma. I didn’t really know what to do. My English wasn’t very good at that time. In fact, if you look at the moment I had with Adam Silver, you can see how nervous I was. As I held his hand, a funny image emerged. “After all, I was traded to Houston, and at this point, I’m glad I was traded because we’re in a good place right now.”
Talking about the difficulties he experienced when he went to the NBA, Alperen said, “First of all, there is a language problem. When I first went to the NBA, my English was not very good and it made me nervous on draft night. As my English improved over the past period, I started to feel more comfortable and communicate more easily with people, my teammates, and journalists. As for adapting to the NBA more easily, Nikola Jokic was elected MVP the season I was drafted. In recent years, we have seen that big men with a similar playing style to me have become more valuable. The evolution of NBA basketball has been to my advantage. “If I had stepped into the NBA in the 1990s or early 2000s, things might have gone a little differently,” he said.
Evaluating his performance this season and talking about his club Houston Rockets’ end-of-season goal, Alperen said, “We made a great improvement compared to last season. With the arrival of Ime Udoka, something changed in the team. We see the positive effects of these. We are especially effective in front of our fans. We demonstrate this effect on away matches as well, but we try to continue by constantly improving our game. It’s a little early to talk about our position at the end of the season, but our goal is of course to make it to the Play-offs. We will see what happens next step by step. But I always aim for the top, I want the best,” he said.
Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the NBA legends, our national athlete who does individual training, explained his impact, especially in the painted area, as follows. Şengün said, “Working with Hakeem Olajuwon was an incredible experience. Even though he was 59 years old, he was moving very fast. He taught several tactics for face-to-face attacks. Apart from these, he showed me some things that would add variety to my offensive moves. “I would like to work with him again, I’m sure he has a lot more to add to me,” he said.
Alperen Şengün, who plays for the Houston Rockets, where big men have historically stood out (Yao Ming and Hakeem Olajuwon), said about continuing the tradition after these names: “The fact that there are such legendary names in the team’s history certainly motivates me. I want to surpass them with my achievements and write my name in Houston Rockets history. After all, both Yao Ming and Hakeem Olajuwon are among the most important names in basketball history. Even the mention of my name with them makes me very happy. The fans’ expectations from me are to win games and lead the Houston Rockets to success. “These motivate me,” he said.
1 Comment
Translate:
Alperen Şengün, who went directly to the NBA without competing in the EuroLeague, said about this process: “I think this is all about personal preparation. I had prepared myself very well psychologically to come to the NBA. I was fully prepared to fight here. I did my best in the training camps before the draft. But I wasn’t satisfied with just that. I have continued to work hard since the first day I stepped into the NBA. I’m trying to improve my game and physical structure. If I don’t keep doing these things, I can’t improve. I have big goals and dreams regarding my career. Because I am someone who enjoys success and is satisfied. “I will fight until the end to achieve these,” he said.
Alperen Şengün, who went to the NBA after Beşiktaş and became the youngest MVP of that season, described the excitement he experienced and the draft night with these words: “That good season, in which I was selected as the youngest MVP in history, increased my self-confidence and shaped the process of going to the NBA. accelerated. I was planning to go after 1-2 years. But going to the NBA was always on my mind. When I went to America before the draft, I trained with many teams, but I did not train with Oklahoma, which selected me, nor with Houston, where I was traded. In that respect, it seemed a little strange to be preferred by these two teams. Draft night was also a very special experience for me. After all, it is an experience you can have once in your life. My excitement continued all night, even after I was selected by Oklahoma. I didn’t really know what to do. My English wasn’t very good at that time. In fact, if you look at the moment I had with Adam Silver, you can see how nervous I was. As I held his hand, a funny image emerged. “After all, I was traded to Houston, and at this point, I’m glad I was traded because we’re in a good place right now.”
Talking about the difficulties he experienced when he went to the NBA, Alperen said, “First of all, there is a language problem. When I first went to the NBA, my English was not very good and it made me nervous on draft night. As my English improved over the past period, I started to feel more comfortable and communicate more easily with people, my teammates, and journalists. As for adapting to the NBA more easily, Nikola Jokic was elected MVP the season I was drafted. In recent years, we have seen that big men with a similar playing style to me have become more valuable. The evolution of NBA basketball has been to my advantage. “If I had stepped into the NBA in the 1990s or early 2000s, things might have gone a little differently,” he said.
Evaluating his performance this season and talking about his club Houston Rockets’ end-of-season goal, Alperen said, “We made a great improvement compared to last season. With the arrival of Ime Udoka, something changed in the team. We see the positive effects of these. We are especially effective in front of our fans. We demonstrate this effect on away matches as well, but we try to continue by constantly improving our game. It’s a little early to talk about our position at the end of the season, but our goal is of course to make it to the Play-offs. We will see what happens next step by step. But I always aim for the top, I want the best,” he said.
Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the NBA legends, our national athlete who does individual training, explained his impact, especially in the painted area, as follows. Şengün said, “Working with Hakeem Olajuwon was an incredible experience. Even though he was 59 years old, he was moving very fast. He taught several tactics for face-to-face attacks. Apart from these, he showed me some things that would add variety to my offensive moves. “I would like to work with him again, I’m sure he has a lot more to add to me,” he said.
Alperen Şengün, who plays for the Houston Rockets, where big men have historically stood out (Yao Ming and Hakeem Olajuwon), said about continuing the tradition after these names: “The fact that there are such legendary names in the team’s history certainly motivates me. I want to surpass them with my achievements and write my name in Houston Rockets history. After all, both Yao Ming and Hakeem Olajuwon are among the most important names in basketball history. Even the mention of my name with them makes me very happy. The fans’ expectations from me are to win games and lead the Houston Rockets to success. “These motivate me,” he said.