Alperen Sengun, a center for the Houston Rockets, has been showcasing his improved play thus far this season. He recently shared a more humble “welcome to the NBA” moment he had during his first year with the Rockets via KJ Martin on the Podcast P show with Paul George.

“KJ (Kenyon Martin Jr.) dunked on me in practice after I got drafted, before the Summer League,” Sengun recalled. “In Turkey, I was the block leader and I used to block every shot.However, I gave him room because I didn’t know who KJ was before entering the NBA and I wanted to jump with him, but he moved too quickly.and he dunked on me when I was running a little late; I didn’t even see it; I just fell.”

Sengun is lucky, at least, that his “welcome to the NBA” baptism by dunking occurred off-camera during practice rather than on stage, but NBA centers are expected to challenge high flyers and take the chance of being featured on a poster. Sengun’s increased defensive efforts have played a significant role in Houston’s turnaround thus far this season; as the starting center, Sengun anchors the Rockets in the paint and the team is third in the NBA in defensive rating.