Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Furkan Korkmaz declared Houston Rockets star Alperen Sengun “now” the best center he has played with, surpassing former MVP Joel Embiid, following Türkiye’s 91-77 EuroBasket 2025 quarterfinal win over Poland.
Korkmaz, who contributed 10 points in the victory, praised Sengun’s impact on both ends of the court.
“Until now I think Joel Embiid was the best player, the best center that I was playing [with], but I think we can tell that it’s Alperen now,” Korkmaz said. “It’s great to be around him, you know, he’s enjoying playing basketball, he helps us a lot on the court defensively and offensively. I think he’s a special kid and everyday he’s trying to give his maximum and this year we are also seeing that he’s playing aggressive defense too not only offense and that gives us a lot of confidence on the frontcourt that we pressure the ball well and he’s helping us from different ways. I hope that he still has a long way to go – he’s gonna grow a lot and then we’re going to see much better basketball from this year to next year, next year to another year. He’s gonna keep adding it.”
Sengun has reinforced that sentiment with historic production at EuroBasket 2025. The 23-year-old became one of only two players to record a triple-double in this year’s tournament, joining Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic in accomplishing a feat not seen since 1995. Against Poland, Sengun finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists along with three steals while shooting 6-for-14 from the field.
“Until now, I think Joel Embiid was the best player – best center that I was playing [with]. But I think we can tell that it's Alperen [Sengun] now.”
Former 76er Furkan Korkmaz 👀
(via @Eurohoopsnet)pic.twitter.com/hUkHULWHXO
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 9, 2025
Furkan Korkmaz says Alperen Sengun is better center than Joel Embiid after EuroBasket showing
Overall, Sengun ranks among the top performers in the competition. He holds the seventh-highest scoring average at 21.6 points, the second-highest rebounding average at 10.9, and the third-highest assist mark at 7.1. He has added one steal per game while shooting 59.6% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range.
His EuroBasket form follows a breakout fourth NBA season. Sengun averaged 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists across 76 games with Houston, helping the Rockets to a 52-30 record and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. He earned his first All-Star selection and will enter his fifth season in Houston alongside Kevin Durant, acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Phoenix Suns earlier this offseason.
Embiid, now 31, endured a difficult 2024-25 campaign with Philadelphia, appearing in just 19 games due to a persistent knee injury. He averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field. His long-term outlook remains uncertain, though 76ers head coach Nick Nurse recently described his progress as “very, very hard-working” and “positive.”
Philadelphia opens its season Oct. 22 against the Boston Celtics. The Rockets will begin their campaign a night earlier in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder will hold their championship ceremony before hosting Sengun, Durant, and a retooled Houston squad.
