Houston Rockets center Alperen Shinkyung from Turkey recently talked about his goals for the new season in an interview. He is aiming to win a championship with the team and is looking forward to fighting alongside star Kevin Durant.

In the 2024/25 NBA regular season, the 23-year-old Alperen Shenjing played 76 times for the Houston Rockets, averaging 19.1 points, 49.6% shooting and 23.3% three-point shooting.

Alperun Shinjing said in an interview, "When I left Turkey for the NBA, many people told me not to go to the NBA. But my goal is to improve my physical strength, language skills and basketball level. It is not easy to gain a foothold in the NBA, because there are 60 rookies entering the league every year, and only those who really work hard can stay. I know this very well, so I will focus on self-improvement every season."

"We are ready for the new season and everyone is training hard. We hope to leave our mark in the new season and then enter the playoffs. I believe everyone will see an Alpern Shenjing who is more focused and has a more winning attitude."

In addition, 36-year-old Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets last month. Speaking of Kevin Durant, Alperen Shin-kyung said, "I'm very happy to play with Kevin Durant, and everyone is excited to play alongside him. His age is not a problem at all, because he is Kevin Durant, and I have no doubt that he will be a great help to the team."

"He's got a lot of experience and we have a lot of young players on our team. I think he's going to open up the offense in the game and he's been very dominant on both ends of the floor."

When talking about head coach Ime Udoka, Alperen Shenjing said, "Ime Udoka is one of the most outstanding coaches in the NBA. He has changed a lot since he took office and has also brought a lot of help to the players. Having him is one of the luckiest things for our team. He has helped me a lot on the psychological level and made each of us stronger mentally."