We're always quick to anoint “the next” guy. Sometimes it happens way too quick. And sometimes, guys are so unique, it's rare we'll see a version 2.0 any time too soon. Nikola Jokic is one of those guys. You can say Jokic has pieces of Larry Bird and Arvydas Sabonis, but the end result is a player who is one-of-one. Jokic is one-of-one, but if any young player currently in the league warrants a comparison, or at least a “Hey, you know who plays like Nikola Jokic” sort of nod, it's Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun. But Sengun is ready to steer clear of those comparisons for now.

“You know, Jokic is not social media guy, he care about basketball and family. But he’s great guy and European. I can say all European bigs and other players so close to each other,” Sengun shared with Paul George on a recent episode of Podcast P. “After the game he’s coming up to me saying good job, great job, keep it up. All this great stuff, it’s great for me. I'm like not trying to play like him, but like you know, our games are similar.”

Stylistically, there are similarities between Jokic and Sengun for sure. The Rockets would be wise to continue to run their offense through the 21-year-old European, just as the Nuggets eventually did with Jokic. And if you look at the numbers, The Joker and The Big Harry Potter are closer to equals than you'd imagine. Or least they were when Jokic was in his third season in the NBA, like Sengun is now.

Alperen Sengun, 3rd season – 20.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 57% shooting
Nikola Jokic, 3rd season – 18.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 50% shooting

So does all of this mean that in six years Sengun will lead the Rockets to an NBA Title? There's simply no way to project that. But the fact that it's even a conversation, the fact that Sengun's name is already mentioned in the same breath as Nikola Jokic's is a huge accomplishment in and of itself.