Third-year Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun continues to excel in this ongoing international window for his native Turkey, which is playing in a FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament.
After Saturday’s victory over Iceland, Sengun caught up with Eurohoops.net to discuss his current run of form and his goals for a crucial 2023-24 NBA season, which starts once training camps open for the Rockets and the league’s other 29 teams in early October.
“Of course, like everyone else, my goal is to become an All-Star,” Sengun told Eurohoops. “I hope I can do that.”
Now 21 years old, Sengun averaged 14.8 points (55.3% FG, 33.3% on 3-pointers), 9.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists in 28.9 minutes last season. He remains Houston’s expected starting center.
But with a new coaching staff in place amid the transition to phase two of Houston’s rebuild, Sengun is aware that team success is now the goal, as opposed to simply prospect development.
“A championship has been my dream since I went to the NBA,” Sengun said. “I think that’s everyone’s dream, as well as Nikola Jokic’s… and it took him eight years to be able to win a championship [with Denver]. Now, we have a good dream in the Rockets, and I hope we’ll do our best next season and enter the playoffs.”
The complete interview can be read here.
Story originally appeared on Rockets Wire