Steven Adams shares funny response about mentoring Alperen Sengun

Although Steven Adams made just 32 appearances last season before an ankle injury sidelined him for the rest of the season, the New Zealand native has been a great mentor since joining the franchise ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

Adams was recently asked about his relationship with star center Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr., providing a comical response. “I just go the old-school just-bullying tactic. Just bully them. That’s just fun. Especially the Turkish people, mate. Got to bully those guys. But no, it’s been good, honestly, mentoring them and just seeing the growth. It is still exciting and just again, competing at that level and seeing the growth throughout the year, not just as an individual, but as a team.”

Since joining the Rockets, Adams and Sengun have been quite the frontcourt duo. Sengun has made two All-Star appearances since his arrival, and when both he and Adams are on the floor, the Rockets’ net rating is +16.3 as opposed to just +1.66 when both are off the floor. When Adams is the only center on the court for Houston, the Rockets have a net rating of +8.32.

Not to mention, Adams provides plenty of opportunities for second-chance points, averaging 4.5 offensive rebounds per game last season.

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Steven Adams shares funny response about mentoring Alperen Sengun