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The San Antonio Spurs conducted a pre-draft workout with Besiktas center Alperen Sengun on Monday morning.
Turkish Super League MVP Alperen Sengun had a pre-draft workout with the San Antonio Spurs on Monday morning, a source close to the situation confirms to me.
— Noah Magaro-George (@N_Magaro) July 21, 2021
Sengun has also worked out for the lottery-bound Charlotte Hornets, Sacramento Kings, and Orlando Magic.
The six-ten big man was among the 353 early entry candidates for the 2021 NBA Draft and will come off the board in the lottery after remaining in the talent pool past the final July 19 withdrawal deadline.
At exactly 18 years and 360 days old, Alperen is one of the youngest players in the 2021 Draft Class, behind only Josh Primo, Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga, JT Thor, and Juhann Begarin.
Sengun averaged 19.2 points, 9.4 boards, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game on an astounding 64.6% shooting from the field on his way to becoming the youngest MVP in Turkish Super League history.
Although Alperen won’t do much to solve San Antonio’s spacing troubles upon entering the league, he should have no issue shoring up a relatively thin frontcourt as a day one contributor off the bench.
The back-to-the-basket bruiser might seem like a strange fit for the pace-and-space era, but flashes of three-point shooting potential and high-end post passing give off shades of Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Vucevic.
If Sengun slips into the late lottery, PATFO should consider selecting the foreign phenom. He dominated grown men in one of the best domestic leagues in the world, and the Spurs could use a premium prospect.
The 2021 NBA Draft will take place on July 29 at 7 PM CST at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. ESPN and ABC will televise the first round, and the second round will air exclusively on ESPN.