Steven Adams Compares Alperen Sengun To...Kung Fu Panda?

Alperen Şengün belongs to the latest crop of big men to make waves in the NBA. There are many ways to describe the remarkable performance of the 23-year-old, but the analogy drawn by his Houston Rockets teammate is next-level hilarious.

In an appearance on "The Young Man and the Three" podcast, Rockets veteran Steven Adams gave Şengün a unique compliment. Apparently, Adams saw fit to evoke the image of a famous animated character in order to describe Şengün's mobility.

"His movement patterns are very bizarre," the Kiwi center said of Şengün. "So, it's hard to time these things because he moves...moves like Kung Fu Panda."

At this point, podcast host Tommy Alter burst out laughing while Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (who'd also been invited to appear on the episode) betrayed a cautious smile, almost as if he didn't want to offend his All-Star teammate.

"He's gonna throw up a shot, and you don't think it's there, but it's there," Adams added. "It's a good shot for him. Defensively, it's hard to time it."

While the arrival of Kevin Durant has certainly raised Houston's ceiling, the future of the franchise currently lies with Şengün, who competed as a first-time All-Star and made a splash in the EuroBasket tournament within a span of eight months.

This season, Şengün leads the Rockets in rebounding with 9.4 boards a night, while placing second behind Durant in the scoring department (23.5 points per game). By all indications, Şengün is headed towards his second All-Star appearance; with the NBA set to employ a USA vs. The World approach, the young Turk can give the international field a leg up in the frontcourt.

In other words, more and more fans around the world will be getting the chance to see Şengün's one-of-a-kind repertoire. "There are certain moves that make you go, 'What's he doing?' And then, he makes them," Sheppard said of Şengün. "It's not like a normal hook shot or layup. It's something else."

It might not be appropriate, then, to say that Şengün is following the footsteps of past Houston luminaries like Hakeem Olajuwon or Yao Ming. Şengün is his own man, and he's just getting started.

Leave it to Adams, though, to come up with a comparison that even young viewers would understand.