Three consecutive victories! Shin Jing scored 20+7+5 again, Kota was suppressed 15+7, and the Rockets made the league lose its suspense

In the 2025 Men's Basketball European Championship, the Turkish Men's Basketball Team undoubtedly became a remarkable dark horse, and they swept the group stage with unstoppable performance. In particular, their core center Alperen Shin-kyung led the team to win three consecutive victories with almost unsolvable personal abilities, which completely ignited the enthusiasm of the fans. In a match against Portugal today, Türkiye crushed its opponents with a score of 95-54, showing strong dominance. In this game, Shin Kyung almost destroyed Portugal's inside defense with his own strength and became the focus of the game.

4 teams have advanced to the top 16 of the European Championship ahead of schedule, including Türkiye, Serbia, Germany and Finland. In fact, Portugal is not weak, especially their center Kota, a tough inside player with a height of 2.11 meters and a weight of 112 kilograms, playing for the NBA Celtics. However, facing Shin Kyung, Kota's defense seemed unsatisfactory. As soon as today's game started, Shin Kyung showed amazing offensive firepower. In the first quarter, he hit three consecutive goals against Kota's defense, and he was very skilled in singles at low posts, flexible and powerful. Kota tried to fight back, and he responded with 4 points, but Shin Kyung's offensive was as surging as a tide, scoring 14 points in a single quarter, and his personal score even exceeded the total of the Portuguese team.

ended with Türkiye leading 22-13, and Shin Kyung's dominance left his opponent powerless. Entering the second quarter, Portugal tried to chase points through the outside offense, and they made two three-pointers, which once made a rebound in the game. However, Türkiye's inside advantage was too obvious, and Shin Kyung continued to lead the game. Not only did he score in low-post turn and throws and tip-offs, he also showed excellent support, assisting teammates Ottoman, Larkin and Kokmaz to score frequently. Türkiye hit a climax of offensiveness, quickly widening the gap to 20 points, and the suspense of the game almost disappeared. Portugal can only rely on Kota's sporadic scores to support it, but is unable to change the situation. In the third quarter, the game completely entered garbage time, and the score difference once exceeded 30 points. Shen Jing played for only 21 minutes and efficiently contributed 20 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, and 9 of 13 shots, showing extremely high offensive efficiency. Despite 0 of 2 three-pointers, his performance in low singles and ball-holding breakthroughs was perfect. Shin Kyung can not only attack strongly in the inside like a traditional center, but also break through from the outside like a defender. He can easily suppress the inside players like Valanciunas and Kota. His plus or negative value is as high as +23, which perfectly explains what "dominance" is. In contrast, although Kota scored 15 points and 7 assists, the plus-negative value was -22, making the gap obvious.

Shin Kyung's outstanding performance is not limited to this game. In the previous game against Latvia, he also "beats" Porzingis and showed his unsolvable singles ability. On the same day, Serbia just narrowly defeated Latvia 84-80, and Jokic scored 39 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, also defeating Porzingis. Shin Kyung and Jokic's air-to-air match are talked about, and both of them show the dominance of the top center.

It is more worth mentioning that Türkiye lost to Germany by only 2 points in the previous warm-up match, showing their ability to compete with top teams. If Türkiye meets Serbia in the main game, Shin Kyung's scene against Jokic will undoubtedly be the focus.

Shin Kyung's rise is no accident. As the 16th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, he was selected by the Rockets with two first-round picks from the Thunder for the No. 16 pick on draft night. At that time, the Rockets took a fancy to his potential and were even willing to pack multiple first-round picks to win a higher No. 6 pick, but in the end, they successfully picked up the bargain at the 16th pick. Over the past four seasons, Shin Kyung's progress has been obvious to all, growing from a potential rookie to a core All-star of the team. At the same time, the Rockets decisively gave up second-place Jaylen Green for Durant in the 2025 offseason because Green's performance has stagnated in four seasons, while Shin Kyung is getting stronger every year. Last year, the Rockets and Shin Jing renewed a five-year, 185 million contract in advance, which will take effect next season, showing the team's absolute trust in him. The Rockets' team building ideas have also changed due to Shin Kyo. The Rockets got Durant through trades this offseason, and the team has entered the first echelon of the championship with Shin Kyung who is still improving and Amen Thompson who has unlimited potential. Shin Kyung's comprehensive ability provides the team with a stable inside pillar. His low-post offense, ball-holding breakthrough and support capabilities make the Rockets' tactical system more diverse. In contrast, although the Thunder have performed well in the past few seasons, they have successfully won the championship last season. However, historical data shows that since the Warriors successfully defended their titles in 2017 and 2018, no team in the NBA has achieved consecutive championships, and the Rockets' rise has undoubtedly added new variables to the Western Conference pattern.

Back to the European Championship, Türkiye's strong performance made people look forward to their prospects. As the team's ball-holding core, Shin Kyung is not only impeccable on the offensive end, but also drives the entire team through efficient defense and support. With his connection, players such as Ottoman and Larkin have fully fired, and Turkey's overall strength is enough to challenge traditional strong teams such as Serbia and Germany. In at least these three games, Shin Kyung made people see his style as a Turkish hope star. Shin Kyung's low-level skills, flexible steps and leadership temperament make people see Jokic's shadow. The rise of the Turkish men's basketball team is definitely inseparable from Shin Kyung's outbreak, and the Rockets' championship competition in the new season depends on him.