Besiktas Icrypex Professional Athletes

Besiktas Icrypex in the NBA | Week of Sept. 27–Oct. 3, 2026

Alperen Sengun is entering the new NBA season as one of Houston's most important pieces — and the spotlight has never been brighter on the Rockets center who cut his teeth at Besiktas Icrypex before making the leap stateside.

The Trio Conversation

Sports Illustrated put Houston's top three — Kevin Durant, Sengun, and Amen Thompson — under the microscope this week, sizing up where they stack up against the NBA's other elite groupings. The verdict: it's a rare combination of scoring, playmaking, defense, and versatility that gives the Rockets a legitimate claim among the league's best trios. For Sengun, being mentioned in the same breath as Durant signals just how far he's come from his days in Istanbul's Süper Lig. His role as the connective tissue of Houston's offense — posting, passing, and finishing — makes the trio's upside as dependent on his development as anyone else's.

Chip Engelland's Influence

The more granular story involves what Sengun is actually working on heading into training camp. According to Sports Illustrated, Sengun has been working with Rockets assistant coach Chip Engelland, one of the most respected shooting coaches in the league with a résumé that includes reshaping the jumpers of multiple All-Stars. The report indicates Engelland has advised Sengun to make a change — a detail that suggests Houston's staff sees an unlocked level in his game that could make an already-dangerous player even harder to guard. The specifics of the adjustment weren't disclosed, but the fact that Sengun is actively seeking and receiving that kind of elite-level coaching input during the offseason speaks to his commitment to growth.

The Big Picture

Sengun's arc from Besiktas Icrypex to franchise cornerstone is one of the more remarkable development stories in recent NBA memory. He arrived in Houston as a raw but uniquely skilled big man, and each offseason has brought a new layer to his game. If Engelland's fingerprints show up on a more reliable mid-range or perimeter threat in 2026-27, the Rockets' already-formidable trio becomes a genuine title-contender conversation piece.

For Besiktas alumni tracking his career, the message from Houston this week is unambiguous: Sengun isn't just along for the ride on a talented roster. He's a pillar of it.

Alperen Şengün Arrives at Rockets Camp With Big Ambitions — and Bigger Expectations

Beşiktaş Icrypex's most prominent NBA export isn't setting modest goals. At Houston Rockets media day, two-time All-Star Alperen Şengün declared he wants to become the best player in the NBA — a statement that drew its share of eye-rolls around the league, but also a surprising amount of genuine respect.

The 22-year-old center has earned the right to dream out loud. Since arriving in the NBA, Şengün has followed a steady upward arc: role player, then star, then two-time All-Star. Now heading into his sixth season with Houston, the Turkish big man is making clear that trajectory isn't slowing down.

Ranked Among the League's Elite

The external validation is there to back up the swagger. Şengün was recently ranked among the NBA's top centers for the 2026-27 season — slotted just behind Nikola Jokić and Victor Wembanyama. For a player who came out of Istanbul's Beşiktaş Icrypex program, landing in that tier represents a remarkable rise through the sport's upper echelon.

Unfinished Business From the Playoffs

The ambition is also fueled by frustration. The Rockets suffered back-to-back first-round playoff exits, including a stinging early departure last season against a Lakers team missing Luka Dončić. Şengün didn't shy away from that wound at media day, boldly insisting Houston was the better team in that series — while also confessing to what he believes actually doomed the Rockets when it mattered most.

That combination of external confidence and internal accountability is precisely what separates stars from superstars, and it's the note Şengün is striking as camp opens.

A Roster Built to Compete

Şengün won't be carrying this alone. The Rockets enter 2026-27 with genuine championship expectations, surrounding him with a core that includes Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason — plus offseason additions Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanović. The depth is enviable; the competition for minutes has already created roster tension, with several players reportedly on the trade block as the numbers game gets real.

For Şengün, the noise around the roster is secondary. The mission is clear: help Houston break through in the playoffs and prove that his "best player in the league" declaration was less bulletin-board fodder and more a genuine statement of intent.

Beşiktaş Icrypex sent one of their own to the NBA. He's not content being good. He wants to be the best.

Alperen Sengun's $185M Deal Doesn't Guarantee His Rockets Future

The ink is dry on a five-year, $185 million extension — and yet, somehow, Alperen Sengun's place in Houston still isn't secure.

According to one NBA insider cited by ClutchPoints, the 2026-27 season shapes up as a genuine crossroads for the Besiktas Icrypex product and Rockets All-Star. Despite the massive financial commitment, questions are swirling about whether Sengun can help push Houston beyond its current ceiling — a ceiling that revealed itself bluntly last postseason with a first-round exit at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Rockets finished with the fifth-best record in the Western Conference, a mark that signals progress but not contention. For a franchise investing heavily in Sengun as its cornerstone, the expectation is a clear step forward — deeper into the playoffs, not another early exit.

The scrutiny on Sengun is pointed. Critics are raising concerns about whether his skill set — dominant in the post, creative as a passer, productive across the board — translates into the kind of winning that justifies the franchise-player designation. A long-term extension is supposed to answer those questions; in Houston's case, it appears to have only sharpened them.

That's a complicated spot for a player who, by most measures, has been one of the more exciting young big men in the league. Sengun's development since arriving from Besiktas Icrypex in Istanbul has been steady and notable — he earned All-Star recognition, improved his efficiency, and evolved into a genuine offensive hub. But the NBA doesn't grade on a development curve when the checks get this big.

What makes 2026-27 especially significant is the organizational context. Houston has been building deliberately, accumulating young talent and draft capital, and the patience that defined the rebuild is starting to wear thin. The front office will be watching closely to see if Sengun can anchor a playoff run rather than simply contribute to one — and, according to the report, the wrong answer could accelerate a rethink of how the roster is constructed around him.

None of this means a trade is imminent or even likely. A five-year max extension isn't walked back easily. But in the NBA, leverage and narrative shift fast — and right now, the narrative around Sengun in Houston is less "cornerstone locked in" and more "prove it."

For fans of Besiktas Icrypex tracking his journey, the upcoming season is must-watch for all the right and wrong reasons. Sengun has the talent. The contract is in place. What's missing, at least in the eyes of league observers, is the postseason proof that turns a promising All-Star into an untouchable franchise pillar.