“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,” said Shane Larkin about his Turkish teammate Alperen Sengun. The 23-year-old big man backed up that praise in Turkiye’s EuroBasket 2025 opener against Latvia, emerging as one of the team’s top scorers in an 88–65 win.

His performance even drew admiration from across the court. After the game, Latvia’s Kristaps Porzingis couldn’t help but draw a lofty comparison:

“I mean, he’s good. He’s talented, the way he spins around off the body and this, like he’s really good at this, you know, one of the best. He’s like a baby Jokic, you know, so his passing ability and how he makes his teammates better is a credit to him for sure.”

During the matchup against Latvia, Alperen Sengun recorded 16 points through 7-12 Field Goals, 0-1 3-Pointers, and 2-2 Free Throws. Additionally, he also recorded 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block over the course of 28 minutes.

Sengun kicked things off by scoring an early basket in the post to give Turkiye a 4-3 lead, then continued to push the pace along with Shane Larkin and Cedi Osman to give their national team a 20-8 lead in the first quarter. Latvia reportedly double- and triple-teamed Sengun throughout the first half, limiting him to just 6 points at halftime. Fortunately, his passes out of the double team led to easy baskets for his teammates. Despite Latvia continuing to double-team Sengun throughout the entire second half, the Turkish player persisted and recorded a score total that gave Turkiye the edge.

This is not the first time that Sengun has been compared to Nikola Jokic. Kristaps Porzingis might not have chosen to praise the 23-year-old in this way if he had heard what the Turkish superstar had previously said about the comparisons.

Alperen Sengun Admitted To No Longer Liking Nikola Jokic Comparisons: “I have all my game”

Back in January 2025, Alperen Sengun was interviewed by ‘The Athletic’s Sam Amick. During the Q&A session, he was asked about his thoughts on being compared to the Joker. Up till that point, comparisons had been drawn between the two European players based on passing skills and scoring finesse inside the paint.

After the Houston Rockets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves to clinch a spot in the next round of the NBA Cup, ESPN analyst and former NBA player Kendrick Perkins took to X to give Sengun the “baby Jokic” moniker. By January, this comparison had taken a toll on the player.

“Yeah, I used to like it. But now I have all my game, you know? Now I have a lot of stuff” said Sengun. “I’m using some moves from Jokić. I’m using some moves from Dirk (Nowitzki). All the stuff I’m using, I’m watching people and I’m seeing what I can do. I used to like (the Jokić comparison), but now I have my own sh–. Of course they still call me Baby Jokić, but that doesn’t bother me”.

Despite these remarks, the comparisons did not stop. In fact, even Rockets GM Rafael Stone recently added to it by stating that “Alperen, he was the MVP of that league at 18. The only two people who had comparable success in top-tier leagues are Jokic and Luka. So I thought that was a good indicator and just watched the film, like he just does special stuff”.

‘Baby Jokic’ gave Turkey an advantage with the win in the team’s first game. Whether he can continue doing so and eventually lead the team to the Finals is something that remains to be seen.