Rockets Kevin Durant on Alperen Sengun: 'He's a Unique Talent'

Kevin Durant has played with a litany of superstars throughout his 19-year career. So many that it's been held against him, for "underachieving" on super-teams.

Durant started out with Russell Westbrook and James Harden as his teammates with the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is an ode to Thunder General Manager Sam Presti's ability to draft well.

Durant joined the Golden State Warriors, who featured a homegrown Big Three of their own, with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson and won two titles (and two Finals MVPs), as he adapted well to the Warriors' motion offense.

Durant’s next two stops were less successful, for different reasons. The Brooklyn Nets team that featured Harden and Kyrie Irving was marred by injury and controversy, especially as it pertains to Irving.

New York's vaccination mandate limited his time on the court and he was also suspended by the team for anti-Semitic social media activity.

Durant’s next step with the Phoenix Suns never had much of a chance, due to poor roster construction. Although he shared the court with Devin Booker (and later Bradley Beal), the team changed coaches multiple times and never truly had a floor general.

Ironically, the Rockets are also without a floor general, as starting point guard Fred VanVleet is out of the fold for the season, following knee surgery to repair a torn ACL.

But the difference in this situation for the Rockets is Alperen Sengun, who is a rising young center, who has drawn endless comparisons to Nikola Jokic for his ability to orchestrate the offense and playmake for others at the center position.

Durant knows how uncommon that is, as he's never quite played with a big man as skilled as Sengun.

Durant said as much.

“Alpi is such a unique talent. I’ve never had the chance to play next to a big who can dominate in the post the way he does. It’s something you don’t see too often in our game these days, but he’s got so much more to his game.”

Durant continued.

"I’m always working to make sure I give (Şengün) enough space to do what he does. His instincts in the post are special. The way we’re attacking defenses is a little different from what I’ve done most of my career, but watching his growth this year has been really fun. He’s playing at a high level.”

When the trade first happened, most people assumed that Durant would be the nightly draw for opposing defenses. However, it's been a bit of both, as teams have even left Durant open to double Sengun, which Durant is certainly not used to.

He's right. Sengun is a unique talent.