Alperen Sengun is being touted as the most improved player this season. But Shaquille O’Neal is going a step further. He’s seeing the potential of a 2x champion and 6x All-Star. Though the Houston Rockets lost 95-112 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Turkish center was beyond impressive.

“He reminds me of a young Pau Gasol,” Shaq told the TNT Tuesday panel after Sengun dropped 23 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists against the Thunder. “I would like to see him on a better team. If he was on a team that has a lot of talent around him, they would definitely do well.”

Shaquille O’Neal not only implied that Sengun should be on a different team, he explicitly stated he’s the second coming of Pau Gasol. Shaq is prone to farfetched comparisons but does this one apply?

It was tonight’s winners, the Thunder who selected the Turkish standout before trading the pick with the Houston Rockets in 2021. He was a Youth League Champion and MVP in the Turkish pro leagues before that. He’s yet to add some NBA records to his resume but this season, he finished at No. 5 in All-Star voting.

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Sengun wasn’t even born when Pau Gasol started his NBA career in 2001. Gasol would snag the 2002 Rookie of the Year. In a stacked career, Gasol averaged 17 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Sengun’s career is still young but he’s been averaging 14.7 ppg. This season, he leads Houston with 21.0 points, 9/2 rebounds, and a field goal percentage of 53.9%.

Shaq sees immense potential in the Turk but not if he stays where he is. The Rockets are 5-23 in road games but O’Neal believes they’re not utilizing the Alperen’s skills to the max. He, however, did not recommend a possible team he would fit into.

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Pau Gasol notably made a formidable partner to Kobe Bryant after Shaquille O’Neal left the team. Hence O’Neal suggested that Sengun would thrive in a team like the Lakers. The Rockets stuttered against the Lakers this season until January 29, where Sengun aided Jalen Green to secure a 135-119 win.

It’s not only O’Neal who sees Alperen as a Gasol. His trajectory has always been upwards. He’s outdoing his previous season when he was a reserve. Even Paul George billed Sengun as a Gasol or two. His playmaking reminded him of Magic Johnson and said he would be the next Nikola Jokic. But his adaptability made him say, “He’s got shades of Marc Gasol, he’s got shades of Pau Gasol.” He didn’t think that Sengun should move to another team though.

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Either the Turkish powerhouse will turn the Rockets around or he ends up in a team where he can win at least two champions like Gasol. Do you agree with Shaquille O’Neal that Sengun’s potential is elsewhere?

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