Alperen Sengun Opens Up On The Role Tiago Splitter Played In His Career
Nov 17, 2025
Alperen Sengun showed potential early in his career, but dating back to the start of the 2024–25 season, he has established himself as one of the best big men in the entire NBA. Not only has he improved on both ends of the floor, but he has helped lead the Houston Rockets to the NBA Playoffs a season ago, and with a 23/10/7 start to the new season, the Rockets are sitting at 9–3 as they look to be a genuine contender in the Western Conference this season.
With the arrival of Kevin Durant, optimism grows in Houston this season, but it is the young core of Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr., among others, that will take them as far as they can.
As for Sengun, he's now opened up on some of the biggest influences in his career, naming Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Tiago Splitter as someone who helped take his game to where it is today.
“He taught me a lot. He's like a brother. I had a brother-ship with him… I worked on my left hand with him… Mentally, I would say he helped me a lot.“
Clearly, Splitter has been a fantastic coach in his career as an assistant, and now in Portland, he's showing that he could potentially be a head coach for a long time to come in the league. Sengun isn't the only one who credits Splitter for helping them on and off the court in their NBA career, and it's safe to say that for both Splitter and Sengun, there are very bright futures ahead for both in their respective roles.
