Alperen Sengun Is Happy That He Doesn't Have To Guard Kevin Durant Any More

Young as he is, Alperen ?eng?n is in an incredibly fortunate place as far as his basketball career is concerned.

The 23-year-old center earned his first All-Star selection and made his playoff debut last season, coming within one game of leading the Houston Rockets to the second round. Then, in the offseason, ?eng?n showed out for the Turkish national team, which won a silver medal in the 2025 EuroBasket tournament.

And now, ?eng?n will get to team up with an all-time great who could help him win his first NBA championship.

Once upon a time, ?eng?n had to worry about getting switched onto Kevin Durant on defense. In an interview with reporter Vanessa Richardson, the young Rockets star expressed his relief at not having to defend the legendary scorer in an NBA game for the foreseeable future.

?We would have to worry about guarding KD when we were playing against him. Now, we don?t have to worry about that,? ?eng?n said with a smile. ?Other teams have to worry about that.?

Long before ?eng?n proved himself to be a matchup nightmare in the NBA, Durant was causing legions of defenders to have bad dreams triggered by his breathtaking offense. In a career celebrated by 11 All-NBA selections, 15 All-Star nods, and two NBA championships, KD made his bread and butter by shooting with incredible range and smoothness.

From the looks of it, ?eng?n is looking forward to blending his talents with Durant?s impeccable shooting. ?He?s going to make my game easy,? the Turkish star said. ?For sure, he?s going to get the pressure off me a little bit.?

Since Durant was traded to Houston in the summer, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has perhaps drawn up several sets that maximize the combination of talent in his frontcourt. A brilliant basketball mind like Udoka would not find it difficult to make opposing teams pick their poison: let ?eng?n dominate individual defenders in the paint or crowd the shaded lane and risk wide-open Durant shots from the perimeter.

In practice, ?eng?n will have the opportunity to test his mettle against his new teammate. But when the buzzer sounds to signify the start of an official NBA game, ?eng?n won?t have to worry about stopping the incomparable scoring of Durant.