Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Furkan Korkmaz shared an interesting take during a recent interview at the EuroBasket Tournament, saying that Alperen Sengun — current Houston Rockets center, and teammate of Korkmaz on the Turkey men’s national basketball team — is the best center he has ever played with.
This statement is interesting for one main reason: Korkmaz spent seven seasons with the 76ers playing with Joel Embiid, a seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA recipient, two-time scoring champion, and 2022-23 NBA MVP. Sengun’s resume on the other hand doesn’t nearly stack up to that of Embiid’s, only having one All-Star appearance to his name to show for it.
Nonetheless, Korkmaz sung high praise for the Rockets’ big man after spending time with him during the EuroBasket Tournament.
“Until now I thought Joel Embiid was the best big man I played with,” Korkmaz said. “But it’s Alperen Şengün now. Defensively and offensively I think he’s a special kid.”
Korkmaz’s comments could mean more than just praise for an international teammate
Sengun is an excellent player in his own right, but he isn’t Joel Embiid. Which makes Korkmaz’s comments interesting. One may recall that Korkmaz had requested a trade numerous times during his tenure with the 76ers, that combined with his most recent comments may suggest that a rift exists between Korkmaz and the 76ers.
In the EuroBasket Tournament, Sengun has been impressive, averaging 21.0 points, 10.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game in seven appearances. He’s also shooting 59 percent from the floor, and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.