Alperen Sengun

Rockets Notes: VanVleet, Thompson, Sheppard, Sengun, Udoka

Less than a month after undergoing surgery on his torn ACL, Rockets guard Fred VanVleet was in attendance at Thursday’s practice in a coaching capacity, writes Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard, who have taken on increased ball-handling responsibilities in VanVleet’s absence, expressed appreciation at having the veteran around again.

“It’s already like the old days,” Thompson said. “He’s giving me advice. Just asking him a lot of questions, seeing how he runs the floor.”

Sheppard said VanVleet gave him some instruction on screening angles and slowing down the offense, according to Lerner (Twitter link).

“I’ve said it multiple times, Fred’s been unbelievable to me,” Sheppard said. “I’ve learned so much from him. So just having him back on the court, speaking what he sees and stuff, is really special.”

A team source tells The Houston Chronicle that VanVleet may try to travel with the Rockets on their two-game road trip to Toronto and Boston next week.

Here’s more on the Rockets:

  • There’s no consensus among rival executives and scouts around the NBA about whether Houston will eventually need to acquire a veteran point guard to fill in for VanVleet or whether the team will be fine with youngsters like Thompson and Sheppard running the show, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. While one source who spoke to Windhorst criticized Sheppard’s defense and said it makes it “tough to play him at times,” another expressed confidence in the former No. 3 overall pick’s ability to handle his new role. “You can focus on what he can’t do, but I’ve followed him since he was a teenager and all he’s done is overcome doubters,” that exec told ESPN. “Just give him time.”
  • After making just 21 total three-point shots last season, Alperen Sengun went 5-of-8 from beyond the arc on Tuesday vs. Oklahoma City. While it would be a “game-changer” for the Rockets if Sengun establishes himself as a reliable threat from outside, not everyone is convinced that will happen, writes ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. However, opposing evaluators are more willing to buy into the big man’s improved “vision and shot creation,” per Bontemps. “He’s way better than I ever thought he would be, and the thing that’s impressive about him is he’s got a really strong command of the game as far as directing traffic,” one scout said. “He’s thinking the game at a higher level than a lot of his teammates. They know it, and they’re following his lead.”
  • Following a rebuilding period, Houston is back to being a desirable destination for players around the NBA, according to Lerner (subscription required), who says the presence of head coach Ime Udoka is one key reason why players want to join the Rockets. “I love it because he’s tough, he’s gonna tell you stuff right away,” said Clint Capela, who returned to Houston as a free agent over the summer. “I feel that that’s what you need. The season is so long, and at the end of the season it’s more mental and toughness to fight through fatigue, to fight through minor injuries … and that type of coach who is very good at motivating guys and talks can actually get you to play harder. That’s what it’s about whenever you get to the postseason.”

Rockets Notes: Eason, Durant, Sengun, More

The Rockets made forward Tari Eason a “strong” contract offer prior to Monday’s deadline for rookie scale extensions, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on the latest episode of the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link).

“From what I understand…it was in excess of $100MM,” Windhorst said. “I don’t know how much of it would have been guaranteed.”

When he reported on Monday that the Rockets and Eason had failed to come to terms on an agreement, Windhorst’s ESPN colleague Shams Charania wrote that the two sides were unable to bridge the gap in their negotiations “on multiple fronts.” That report, along with Windhorst’s comment, could signal that Eason and his camp weren’t satisfied with the amount of guaranteed money in Houston’s proposal.

Each of the nine players who ultimately signed rookie scale extensions in 2025 received fully guaranteed deals.

Here’s more on the Rockets:

  • Entering the 2025 offseason after their first-round loss to Golden State, the Rockets’ front office wasn’t “trying to move guys,” general manager Rafael Stone told ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. However, Stone and the Rockets ended up pulling the trigger on a trade for Kevin Durant because they felt the opportunity was too good to pass up. Jalen (Green) and Dillon (Brooks), we love those guys,” Stone said. “Everybody does. Not a single person on this team felt they needed to be moved out. And you’re never trying to give away the 10th pick of the draft because that’s still a really good player. We did it because of the opportunity. Kevin’s a very unique player. His archetype is unique. He’s this high-volume efficient scorer who doesn’t have to have the ball in his hands 24-7. In that sense, he’s kind of a unicorn. He’s also a two-way player. There just aren’t a whole lot of Kevin Durants. We’ll just have to see how he ultimately fits.”
  • Durant’s first game with the Rockets was a nail-biting double-overtime 125-124 loss to the defending champion Thunder. Durant, who missed a free throw late in regulation and then fouled out with 11 second left in the second overtime period, put the blame on himself after the game, according to Wright. “I missed the free throws, and I fouled somebody at the end,” the star forward said. “I think those two plays are the reason we lost. … I’ve got to be better.” Durant was also in the middle of a near-disaster at the end of the first overtime, when he called for a timeout the Rockets didn’t have — he wasn’t called for a technical foul because the referees didn’t see his signal, crew chief Zach Zarba later explained.
  • While Durant’s Rockets debut didn’t end in a win, Alperen Sengun‘s performance in defeat was an extremely encouraging sign for the team, as William Guillory of The Athletic and Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required) write. On the heels of an impressive EuroBasket performance for the Turkish national team, Sengun posted a monster line of 39 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists vs. Oklahoma City and showed that Houston won’t always have to lean on Durant for half-court scoring. “He was kind of the backbone of our offense tonight,” forward Josh Okogie said of Sengun, per Lerner.
  • Although the trade for Durant was a win-now move for the Rockets, the rest of their core is still so young that they place just 21st in the “now or later” rankings compiled by ESPN’s Zach Kram. As Kram explains, the teams at the top of his list are the most desperate to win right away, while the clubs near the bottom are the most content to win later.

Thunder’s Jalen Williams, Isaiah Joe Out For Opener

Thunder star Jalen Williams will not play in Tuesday’s regular season opener vs. Houston as the All-Star forward continues to recover from offseason surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who says (via Twitter) the 24-year-old is not expected to miss extended time.

In a full story for ESPN.com, MacMahon notes that Oklahoma City has been cagey about Williams’ recovery timeline.

Just whenever I feel like I can be a hundred percent, then I’ll rock out,” Williams said during the preseason. “Part of the process is just figuring out how to get my jump shot back. A lot of it is just trying to get feel back.”

Williams sustained the wrist injury in early April, shortly before the regular season ended, and played with it during the playoffs, which saw the team win its first championship. He just started shooting with his right hand this month, MacMahon adds.

The Thunder’s injury report also includes sharpshooting guard Isaiah Joe, who has been ruled out with a knee issue, per Rylan Stiles of SI.com. Thomas Sorber (season-ending torn ACL), Kenrich Williams (arthroscopic knee surgery) and Nikola Topic (testicular procedure) are sidelined as well.

As for the Rockets, they will be without Fred VanVleet (torn ACL), Dorian Finney-Smith and Jae’Sean Tate, Stiles writes. Both Finney-Smith and Tate are recovering from offseason ankle surgery.

The Rockets announced they will use a jumbo-sized starting lineup on Tuesday consisting of Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, as Stiles relays.

Southwest Notes: Harper, Jones Garcia, Wells, Durant

The reviews were all positive as the Spurs got their first preseason look at rookie guard Dylan Harper Friday night, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN. The No. 2 pick in this year’s draft sat out the first two games as a precaution after undergoing thumb surgery in September, and he enjoyed the chance to showcase his skills in a game setting.

“Just being back out on the court with them guys, just getting the chemistry going before the season starts, it just felt good to play again,” Harper said. “My teammates do a great job of empowering me, and they’re going to let me know what I do wrong. But ultimately, they’re here to help me out and I’m here to help them out. Just having that confidence behind me is very helpful.”

Harper checked into the game midway through the first quarter and picked up two quick assists on alley-oop passes to Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). He only played 18 minutes due to a medical restriction, but he ran the offense while he was on the court and finished with a game-high plus-minus rating of +20. He also picked up full-court on defense and vowed that part of his game will get better as his conditioning improves.

“It’s just another step for him and his young career as he’s going to continue to grow,” coach Mitch Johnson said. “Obviously, he made some plays, which hopefully he’ll feel good about. But just to be able to do it in front of fans and in the bright lights, whether it was the plays that people will talk about when he scored, made a shot or made a good pass. Just to be able to go through team defense and run the floor, it is just invaluable experience.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • David Jones Garcia‘s outstanding Summer League performance has carried over into the preseason, McDonald adds in the same story. The 23-year-old small forward, who signed a two-way contract with the Spurs after earning All-Summer First Team honors in Las Vegas, scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime in Friday’s win over Utah. “He’s competitive,” Johnson said. “He is obviously dynamic with the basketball and has the ability to put the ball in the hole. If he can raise that other part of his game to match that, then he’s got a real chance.”
  • The Grizzlies are counting on Jaylen Wells to take on an expanded offensive role after trading Desmond Bane to Orlando, notes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. That means some play-making duties as well as increased scoring for the second-year swingman. “Overall, I think he’s on a very nice growth trajectory,” coach Tuomas Iisalo said. “He’s being asked to be a secondary handler in our offense right now, and he’s doing a pretty good job with it — like today, when he’s more assertive and finds his spots. I’m very happy with his development.”
  • Kevin Durant is already displaying on-court chemistry with Alperen Sengun as he played his first game with the Rockets on Wednesday, writes William Guillory of The Athletic. They ran a two-man game throughout the night that looked polished, even though it was their first time as teammates. Guillory observes that Sengun is the most talented center Durant has ever played alongside, and the combination forces tough decisions for opposing defenses.

Rockets Notes: Capela, Smith, Thompson, Sheppard, Davison

It came as a bit of a surprise in free agency when the Rockets, with Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams on multiyear deals in the middle, made a deal to reacquire Clint Capela, who spent the first six years of his NBA career in Houston. But with the Rockets leaning into bigger lineups, they valued the opportunity to bring back Capela, and he reciprocated their interest, suggesting that he had unfinished business in Houston.

“I feel like when I left (Houston in a 2020 trade), it was something that wasn’t done,” Capela said, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). “What I’ve missed the most is the fans, the support that I feel about the city. Whenever I left, that’s when I realized how special it was to represent this team in the city and be able to be, really, a real contender. I really missed that, and that’s why I feel that it’s so special to be here with this team.”

After experimenting last season by playing Sengun and Adams alongside one another, head coach Ime Udoka views Capela as a player he can use either as the lone big man in a five-man unit or next to Sengun in a jumbo frontcourt.

“(Capela) is a different player as far as rim protection, lob threat,” Udoka said. “Even probably out of those three (centers), he might switch and move his feet the best. Alpi’s good as well, but all those things. And then, like I said, with Alpi’s versatility, he could play with either of them. Alpi seems to be more aggressive when he has another big guy behind him.”

We have more on the Rockets:

  • The Rockets opened their preseason schedule on Monday with a 122-113 victory over Atlanta. Lerner and William Guillory of The Athletic share the key takeaways from that game, including Jabari Smith Jr. looking comfortable in his return to the starting lineup and Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard sharing ball-handling duties evenly when they were on the court together.
  • While Thompson and Sheppard figure to be Houston’s primary ball-handlers with Fred VanVleet out due to a torn ACL, two-way player JD Davison did his best on Monday to show he deserves consideration for rotation minutes, as Brian Robb of MassLive.com writes. Davison had 17 points and four assists in 22 minutes of action, with five made three-pointers. “He’s been great,” Udoka said of the former Celtic. “Very aggressive, handles well, makes good decisions out of the pick and roll. He’s a big body who can pick up full court, so he brings aggression on both sides of the ball. He’s taken advantage of the opportunity.”
  • An ESPN panel explores the impact that VanVleet’s injury will have on the Rockets this season, with Kevin Pelton outlining why Houston might actually miss the veteran point guard more on the defensive end of the court, while Bobby Marks explains why the team isn’t in a great position at the moment to trade for or sign a replacement point guard.

Southwest Notes: DFS, Eason, Bey, Spurs, Wemby, Prosper

Confirming previous reporting, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka acknowledged on Wednesday to reporters, including Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required), that newly added forward Dorian Finney-Smith will “probably not” be ready for the start of the season as he recovers from June ankle surgery. According to Udoka, Finney-Smith hasn’t yet been cleared for contact, though he’s doing “all the shooting and other things with treatment as well during practice.”

As Lerner writes, the Rockets are also continuing to manage the workloads of center Steven Adams and forward Tari Eason, who were coming off procedures on their right knee and left leg, respectively, last season and didn’t play in both ends of back-to-backs. Houston won’t have a back-to-back this season until the first week of December and it’s unclear whether or not Adams and Eason will get the go-ahead to suit up for both of those games.

With Finney-Smith sidelined for now, Eason will receive consideration for a spot in the starting lineup this fall, according to Udoka.

“We’ll see,” Udoka said. “Good to have athletic wing defenders that’ll do a lot of things that he does, especially with Dillon (Brooks) being gone, but still to be determined, and we’ll see what works well. It’s not just about starting with me, as you know. It’s about what fits best, as far as our group. He wants to push for that. We want him to as well. And we’ll see if he gets it.”

Udoka has spoken this week about experimenting with different types of lineups, per William Guillory of The Athletic, noting that he could try out a unit featuring Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, and Adams that would “probably be one of the biggest in the history of the league.”

We have more from around the Southwest:

  • Jordan Poole was the headliner of the Pelicans‘ offseason trade with Washington, but the team also added veteran forward Saddiq Bey in that deal. Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com explores what Bey, who is returning from an ACL injury that cost him the entire 2024/25 season, can bring to New Orleans, noting that he’s earning praise from his teammates and his new head coach in camp. “He’s sort of that Swiss Army Knife type of player,” Willie Green said. “He can play multiple positions, score, post up, defend, rebound. Those guys are extremely valuable to a team’s success.”
  • The Spurs were one of the NBA’s worst rebounding teams and put up poor defensive numbers when Victor Wembanyama wasn’t on the court last season. They’re optimistic that the offseason additions of centers Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk will help address those issues, as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes (subscription required). “We wanted to be able to have that roster versatility to play a bunch of different ways and also protect the paint when Vic’s not on the floor,” general manager Brian Wright said. “I think those guys allow us to do that.”
  • After recovering from a blood clot and spending time traveling in China and Japan this offseason, Wembanyama embarked upon a training regimen he described as “brutal,” explaining that he wanted to “get my body back,” according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “I can assure you, nobody has trained like I did this summer,” the Spurs star said. “And this is my best summer so far. I can tell the progress is just incredible. I feel better, I look stronger and the scale says I’m heavier. So everything is a green light.”
  • With Grizzlies big men Jaren Jackson Jr., Zach Edey, and Brandon Clarke all likely unavailable to open the 2025/26 season, new two-way addition Olivier-Maxence Prosper is among the players making a strong case for a rotation role in the frontcourt during camp, head coach Tuomas Iisalo said this week, per Michael Wallace of Grind City Media (Twitter link).

Rockets Notes: PGs, Finney-Smith, Thompson, Adams, Green

In the wake of Fred VanVleet‘s ACL tear, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka doesn’t expect a single player to take over the veteran point guard’s responsibilities.

“A committee, all of the above,” Udoka said when asked about Houston’s point guard plans, suggesting that Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, and Aaron Holiday could all play increased on-ball roles (Twitter link via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). That was already the plan for Thompson and Sheppard, but it will be “expedited a little bit” with VanVleet unavailable, Udoka added.

The Rockets’ coach also pointed out that players at other positions like Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant will be relied upon to initiate the offense more frequently.

Here’s more out of Houston:

  • New Rockets forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who is coming off ankle surgery, said he has been running but didn’t specify a timeline for his return, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who says Finney-Smith hasn’t been fully cleared for basketball activities and will likely miss the start of the regular season.
  • After earning an All-Defensive first team spot and finishing fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024/25, Thompson said on Monday that his goals heading into ’25/26 are to make an All-Star team and to win a title, per William Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link).
  • While general manager Rafael Stone indicated that the Rockets may still take a cautious approach with Steven Adams on back-to-backs to open the season, the veteran center said his knee feels good entering training camp (Twitter link via Lerner). “I feel ready, I feel confident with it,” said Adams, who sat out all of 2023/24 season while recovering from knee surgery.
  • Asked on Monday if he envisions himself coaching once his playing career ends, veteran forward Jeff Green dismissed the idea. “Hell nah,” he replied, according to Guillory (Twitter link).
  • In case you missed it, Kevin Durant said on Monday that he expects to sign a contract extension with Houston at some point. We have the full story here.

And-Ones: Sengun, Giannis, Future Rankings, G League Swap, Drell

Rockets center Alperen Sengun made an eye-opening statement regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo after Turkey defeated Greece for the EuroBasket semifinals.

“He’s not a great passer. He’s an amazing player, you know, but he’s not a great passer. So we just tried to help and jump to close the paint,” Sengun said, per Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews.com.

When asked about Sengun’s comments on Sunday, according to BasketNews, the Bucks superstar replied, “I’m not the guy that will talk back to coaches or players or people that say bad things about me. It doesn’t really matter because at the end of the day, you won’t remember what they say. You’ll remember how I respond. So, I keep everything to myself. You can go see my clips on YouTube. And then come back and ask me if I’m a good passer. There you go. That’s it.”

The disagreement continued on social media but both players later issued apologies for comments they made on Instagram, according to Eurohoops.net.

We have more from around the international basketball world:

  • ESPN’s Insiders updated their three-year future rankings of every NBA franchise based on a variety of factors. Not surprisingly, the defending champion Thunder received the top ranking. The Rockets, Knicks, Cavaliers and Clippers rounded out the top five, with the Suns occupying the bottom of the totem pole.
  • The Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder‘s NBA G League team, has acquired a 2026 first-round pick and the returning player rights to Steven Richardson from the Wisconsin Herd in exchange for the returning player rights to Cormac Ryan, Thunder beat reporter Rylan Stiles tweets. Ryan joined the Bucks‘ camp roster on an Exhibit 10 deal last week, so this clears the way for him to receive a bonus up to $85,300 if he’s waived and then spends 60 days or more with the Herd.
  • Spanish club Joventut Badalona and former Bulls forward Henri Drell have reached an agreement for the next two months with an option to extend until the end of the season, according to Penya.com. Drell played in the EuroBasket tournament with the Estonian national team. Last year, he played 15 games with La Laguna Tenerife. Drell appeared in four games with Chicago during the 2023/24 season.

Germany Defeats Turkey For EuroBasket Gold; Schröder Named MVP

A back-and-forth battle between a pair of 8-0 teams went down to the wire in Sunday’s EuroBasket championship game, with Kings point guard Dennis Schröder helping to secure a gold medal for Germany by scoring the final six points and turning an 83-82 deficit into an 88-83 victory over Turkey.

Schöder (16 points, 12 assists), former NBA wing Isaac Bonga (20 points, 4-of-4 three-pointers), and Magic forward Franz Wagner (18 points, eight rebounds) were the standout performers for Germany, which has won two of the past three major international basketball competitions.

Although the Germans didn’t make the podium at the Paris Olympics last summer, the country is now the defending FIBA World Cup (2023) and EuroBasket (2025) champion and has posted a 21-2 record in those three tournaments, per HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Germany outlasted a Turkish national team that was led by Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28 points), former NBA forward Cedi Osman (23 points, 6-of-9 on three-pointers), former NBA guard Shane Larkin (13 points, nine assists, six rebounds), and Sixers big man Adem Bona (12 points, 5-of-5 shooting).

While they weren’t able to claim their first EuroBasket championship, Turkey matched their best-ever result by taking silver. The Turkish team lost to Yugoslavia in the 2001 final, which was the only other time the country made the championship game.

Schröder was named the EuroBasket Most Valuable Player after leading the Germans to their first title in the event since 1993. He scored at least 16 points in all nine games, averaging 20.3 points and 7.2 assists per contest.

The 2025 EuroBasket All-Star Five was made up entirely of NBA players, with Lakers guard Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) joining Schröder, Wagner, and Sengun (Twitter link).

Antetokounmpo and the Greek national team beat Finland in the third-place game earlier on Sunday.

International Notes: Loyd, Larkin, NBA Europe, Athens

Veteran guard Jordan Loyd, who starred for Poland during EuroBasket 2025, is close to signing a contract with Turkish powerhouse Anadolu Efes, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (via Twitter).

Loyd, who had a brief stint with Toronto during the team’s title-winning season in 2019, averaged a team-high 22.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals on .490/.422/.875 shooting in seven games (32.0 MPG) for Poland.

Stein previously reported that Real Madrid was the most prominent suitor for Loyd, but evidently team was unable to sign him away from AS Monaco because his Spanish league rights are held by Valencia, among other complicating factors.

Loyd, 32, helped Monaco reach the EuroLeague final for the first time in franchise history last season. In 27 EuroLeague contests, he averaged 10.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 1.9 APG on .468/.392/.892 shooting (22.7 MPG).

Anadolu Efes, meanwhile, won the EuroLeague in both 2021 and 2022. Last season, it was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the playoffs by Panathinaikos, the 2024 champs. Efes also competes domestically in Turkey’s Basketball Super League.

Here are a few more international notes:

  • In an extensive — and exclusive — interview with Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, former first-round pick Shane Larkin discussed becoming a Turkish nationalized citizen, his journey to becoming a star in Europe, battling OCD, and Turkish teammate Alperen Sengun, among other topics. “I had a few incredible seasons over here and I had opportunities to go back to the (NBA) and I was like, “Nah I’m cool, like I’m good where I am”… and when people hear that, they don’t understand what it is like to be one of the better star players in Europe. You have to really experience it to fully understand it,” Larkin said as part of a larger quote. The 5’11” point guard, who plays for Anadolu Efes, will compete in the final of EuroBasket on Sunday with Turkey, which faces Germany.
  • Speaking to the media on Saturday, FIBA Europe president Jorge Garbajosa said he has “no doubt” that the NBA’s European league will come to fruition at some point, though the details are still being worked out. “There’s a long way to work from today until whenever we start,” Garbajosa said, per Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. “This is going to happen. It’s very clear. Mr. [Adam] Silver announced it publicly, and so did Mr. [Andreas] Zagklis. I did it also. It is not easy to create this competition in Europe, so it’s going to take a while. But this is going to happen. How and when? Let’s see. Some prospects talked about 2027. I think it’s a good year. But obviously NBA is working on it. We are their partners, we want to be their partners, we want to be together with them.”
  • The 2026 EuroLeague Final Four will be played at the Telekom Center in Athens, Greece, the league announced in a press release. Athens also hosted the 2007 edition of the EuroLeague Final Four.