Shin Kyung bid farewell to "Little Jokic" to become his true self

Translator's note: The original text was published on Sports Illustrated. The data in the article were as of the time of the original text (September 5 local time). The dates and times involved were local time

Since Alperen Shin-kyung made his mark in the NBA in 2021 with his top passes, long-precision low-post footsteps and excellent footwork, he has become the "bad-picking treasure" in that draft. Considering Shen Jing's resume before entering the league, this shouldn't be surprising. When he was only 19 years old, Shin Kyung was named the MVP of the Turkish Basketball Super League, the country's top professional basketball league. When entering the NBA, there were some remarks that Shin Kyung should hone his skills in the G League before completing his NBA debut. However, Shin Kyung had other ideas because he showed from day one of the team that he was already one of the best players on the team.

即使在新秀赛季，申京也明显是一个独特的内线球员。 Shin Kyung can not only score at a low post, but also score with the ball and make wonderful passes. This ability makes him immediately compare with another technical center Nikola Jokic.

By 2021, Jokic had established himself as the best player in the league and was elected MVP the previous season. Although Shin Kyung is not an outside shooter like Jokic, he is regarded as the player with the overall technical characteristics of the NBA that are closest to Jokic, and the nickname "Jokic" really became popular at that time. Shin Kyung has shaped his own characteristics. Shin Kyung spent most of his rookie season on the bench to accommodate the NBA's game speed and the hardships of the long season. Shin Kyung truly made a leap in his third season, which was the first season coached by Ime Uduka. This also coincides with the change in the center of gravity of the Rockets team.

The Rockets have transformed from a rebuilding team focused on player development to a team led by veterans who are focused on entering the playoffs. This shift in focus has made Shen Jing's competitive level achieve a huge leap. Shin Kyung has proved from day one that he can be an offensive threat, but now he is showing that he can also influence the direction of the game on the defensive end.

In the third season, Shin Kyung averaged 21.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, both of which set career highs. Despite a knee injury against the Kings, missing the last month of the season, Shin Kyung played the best season of his career at the time.

Shin Kyung became a more comprehensive player

The 2024-25 season is even better for Shin Kyung and the Rockets, as the star center was selected for the All-Star Game for the first time and made huge progress on the defensive end of the court. Before the 2024-25 season, sometimes Shin Kyung would not play at the end of the game with a stalemate score, because Uduka felt that Shin Kyung was a burden on defense, especially at critical moments. This situation changed last season as Shin Kyung worked tirelessly to improve his ball-holding defense and became a better helper. Shin Kyung won the trust of the coaching staff, which in turn allowed them to leave him on the court more at the end of the game.

Shin Kyung's progress on both offense and defense is an important reason why the Rockets won 52 games and finally ranked second in the West. The Rockets ranked in the top six in the league in terms of points per game and ranked fifth in defensive efficiency, partly because of Shin Kyung's growth in defense.

The Rockets then lost to the Warriors in the first round, but Shin Kyung used his performance to prove that he was able to adapt to the intensity and pressure of the playoffs because he was one of the Rockets' best players in the playoffs. Shin Kyung's outstanding performance continued to the FIBA ​​European Championships, and he helped the Turkish men's basketball team achieve a record of 5 wins and 0 losses in the group stage.

The Turkish men's basketball team played the fifth game on Wednesday, staged a direct showdown between Shin Kyung and Jokic, a player he has been compared for years. The matchup between the Turkish men's basketball team and the Serbian men's basketball team is seen as one of the most important games of the tournament to date, and Shin Kyung once again proves that he is more than just a trumpet version of his idol.

In a back and forth game, Shin Kyung faced the former MVP again and again, and once again showed that he was more than just a top offensive player. Shin Kyung not only hit two free throws in the last moment to secure the victory for the team, but also staged the best defensive round in the game.

That round showed how much progress Shin Kyung made in his career, growing from a skilled but questionable offensive player to an all-around player who can win games on both sides of the offense and defense. Shin Kyung ended up with a game-high 28 points, plus 13 rebounds and 8 assists. His performance surpassed his idol and helped Türkiye end the group stage with a record of 5 wins and 0 losses.

Shin Kyung's performance has shown that he is ready to get rid of the nickname "Little Jokic", and his teammates seem to think so.

Conclusion

As an NBA player, he has been compared with Jokic throughout his career, which is far from the worst comparison he can encounter. Jokic is a three-time MVP and will be recorded in history as one of the greatest players in history. However, Shin Kyung's performance over the years has proven that he is not just a young version of Jokic: he is a leader, an All-Star, but more importantly, he has grown into a unique player.

Author: Lachard Binkley

Translator: GWayNe

source:bóng đá 7m