“He reminds me of a young Pau Gasol!” Shaquille O’Neal wants Alperen Şengün to play for a ‘better team’ than the Rockets

Shaquille O'Neal is impressed with Houston Rocket’s Alperen Sengun’s performance this season.

“He reminds me of a young Pau Gasol!” Shaquille O’Neal wants Alperen Şengün to play for a ‘better team’ than the Rockets

Shaquille O’Neal likens Rockets’ Alperen Sengun to Pau Gasol (images via Open Source/X)

Houston Rockets young sensation Alperen Sengun has performed impressively this season. His performance stood out in the away loss to the inspired Oklahoma City Thunder led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Despite the defeat, Sengun showcased his skills with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Notably, his performance garnered attention from NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.

Shaq compared him to two-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Pau Gasol. Some aspects of Sengun’s play resemble Gasol. However, most people think Sengun is more of a mini-Nikola Jokic than a Paul Gasol. Nevertheless, receiving praise from Shaq remains a unique thing as Shaq, more often than not, critiques the newer generation players.

YouTube video

Shaq was notably impressed by his performance. He acknowledged the prowess of Sengun on the court. This is what he said:

FS Video
He [Sengun] reminds me of a young Pau Gasol… I really like this guy. I would like to see him on a better team. If he was on like LA, or you know, like a team that has a lot of talent around them, they would definitely do well.
Shaquille O’Neal via TNT

The Turkish sensation has maintained an average of 21 points this season, with 9.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. Despite his impressive individual stats, his Rockets find themselves in the 12th seed. They might struggle to remain in play-in contention due to their injury woes. Nevertheless, the future looks bright for Alperen Sengun.

Shaquille O’Neal has advice for Lillard and Antetokounmpo

Shaq recently gave an important piece of advice to Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Shaq wanted them to take a more assertive role with the Milwaukee Bucks. He emphasized the need to shed their “too nice” attitude in order to reach their full potential. Shaq’s comment remains important, considering the team’s recent underwhelming performance.

Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O’Neal (Credits: Yardbarker)

Shaq said:

You and Giannis are being too nice. When it's all said and done, when it all don't work out, three people will get blamed: Doc, you, and Giannis. So you and Giannis gotta make sure the troops get it done.
Shaquille O’Neal via NBA on TNT

The Milwaukee Bucks had recently slipped to third in the Eastern Conference standings. They have a good record of 37 wins and 21 losses. Shaq believed the Bucks’ talent had sufficient firepower to prevent further decline in the standings. The Bucks need to figure things out quicker as they go through a coaching change.

In case you missed it: