Why Rockets GM Rafael Stone felt it was 'important' to spend time with Alperen Şengün in Türkiye
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In his fifth year in the NBA, Alperen Şengün emerged as a leader for the Houston Rockets, both on the court and in the locker room. This summer, he got treated like a leader when general manager Rafael Stone traveled to Türkiye to spend nearly two weeks with his star player in the offseason. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Şengün's offseason home is located in the heart of a desired travel destination in his home country.
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"It was a great experience," said Rockets general manager Rafael Stone on Friday from Houston Fire Station 8 where he, coach Ime Udoka and some players stopped by to show their appreciation for first responders on the 25th anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11. "I loved the country. Truly beautiful, really nice, sweet people."
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Although a summer trip to Istanbul and Bodrum is never a bad idea, Stone said it really was the result of Şengün pushing him to be more vocal with the team, so being together every day during the trip gave the player and executive time to connect away from the daily grind of basketball.
"I thought it was important for me to do," Stone said. "We had some good conversations at the end of last year and part of it was him putting pressure on me that, 'You have to communicate better.' He said, 'You're always around, but I want to hear from you more: Good, bad or ugly.' I said, 'Alright, that's fair.' His first couple of years, I was always on him and I've tried to back off a little bit. He doesn't need me yelling at him 24/7, but I took that in, so one of the things that came out of that was, 'Hey, let me go spend some time with you in Türkiye.'"
Şengün has improved each year since he was drafted 16th overall at just 18 years old in 2021. By Year 3, he was averaging nearly a double-double (21.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game), but he took a bigger leap the next season when he made his first All-Star team and helped the Rockets break a four-year playoff drought. He had another good season last year, making his second straight All-Star team, but perhaps more importantly, emerging as a vocal leader on a team that added future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant.
Şengün, who turned 24 years old in July, stayed busy during the summer. He helped Türkiye clinch a spot in next year's FIBA World Cup, appearing in a pair of qualifying games for his home country.
"He's having a great summer," Stone said. "He's been working his butt off."
After Stone secured Amen Thompson to a five-year, $208 million contract extension last week, the Rockets' young core of Şengün, Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason are all locked up for at least the next four years to generous contracts they and their agents negotiated with Stone. Not that any of that matters when a dinner check is dropped at the table.
"He didn't pay for any meals," Stone said with a laugh about his trip to see his star player. "I think I paid for everything."
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There’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Why Rockets GM Rafael Stone felt it was 'important' to spend time with Alperen Şengün in Türkiye.