Kings bring 18-year-old Turkish League MVP Alperen Sengun to Sacramento ahead of NBA Draft
One of the most intriguing big men in the 2021 NBA Draft made a stop in Sacramento on Saturday, presumably to participate in a pre-draft workout with the Kings.
Alperen Sengun, a teen sensation from Turkey, posted a photo to his Instagram story showing himself outside the Golden 1 Center. The Kings are conducting private workouts as they prepare to make the No. 9 pick in the July 29 draft, but a number of prospects — most recently Arkansas guard Moses Moody, Texas center Kai Jones and Duke forward Jalen Johnson — have been linked to Sacramento through social media.
Sengun, 18, is a 6-foot-10, 240-pound center who put up tremendous numbers against experienced professionals to win MVP honors in the Basketball Super League in Turkey. Sengun averaged 19.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals in 37 games for Beskitas. He shot 63.2% from the field, 20% from 3-point range and 79.4% from the free-throw line.
Sengun has been projected as a mid to late first-round draft pick by some analysts, but he has climbed significantly higher on some draft boards. Tankathon.com ranks Sengun as the second-best center in the draft behind USC’s Evan Mobley, who is widely projected as the No. 2 or No. 3 pick. The site projects Sengun will go to the Orlando Magic with the No. 8 pick.
NBADraftRoom.com is also projecting Sengun at No. 8. The site draws comparisons to Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Vucevic, saying: “Sengun is built like a bull, with a high skill level and a lot of toughness.”
A more detailed breakdown on the site offers further analysis of Sengun’s game: “As a teenager he’s able to play bully ball against grown men in the Turkish league and has put up monster stats, winning the MVP of the league at just 18 years old. He’s got a wide base and natural strength (but also a lot of room for improvement with his strength and conditioning).
“He does a good job of making himself available in the post and has a good understanding of spacing, screening, cutting and how to make plays within the flow of the offense. He’s got a soft touch around the basket and shoots a very high percentage from the field. He’s also got some pick and pop ability and the makings of a nice mid range jumper. He’ll almost certainly become an effective 3pt shooter in time.”
This story was originally published July 18, 2021 at 8:48 AM.
