Can Shen Jing s performance in the European Cup be established as the Rockets boss?

The European basketball world has changed suddenly, and a Star Moon Legion is shocking the arena with seven consecutive victories. The 23-year-old center Shin Kyung led Turkey to the semi-finals of the European Cup after 24 years, allowing the Turkish men's basketball team to show amazing strength in the 2025 European Cup. Türkiye not only has Shen Jing, but taking the quarterfinals as an example, the seven players in the team scored in double digits, showing strong overall strength. Among them, Shin Kyung scored 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists with triple-double data, becoming the sixth triple-double master in European Cup history and is also the youngest triple-double master in the event. The strength of Shin Kyung and Türkiye made me think of three questions.

1. Is Türkiye's chance of winning the championship?

The Turkish men's basketball team's performance in this European Cup is impressive. Since the start of the game, they have maintained a record of winning all the time, and have advanced to the semi-finals in 7 games and 7 wins. The team's odds for winning the championship also increased significantly from the initial 1-loss of 21 to 1-loss of 3.75, becoming the second largest favorite to win the championship after Germany. Turkey's advantage lies in overall offense and rebounding control. They have three-point shooting players such as Larkin, Ottoman and Hazel, and the team's three-point shooting percentage reaches 38.7%, ranking second in the game. In terms of rebounds, Turkey averaged 42.6 rebounds per game, and defeated its opponents through second attacks.

Their main competitors in this European Cup are Germany and Greece. The German team is currently the number one favorite to win the European Cup, with an odds of only 1.75. As the 2023 World Cup champion, Germany has two NBA stars, Schroeder and Wagner Jr., with an excellent lineup. They won four consecutive games in the group stage, with a net victory of 33.5 points per game, and once defeated the UK 120-57, setting a record for the largest score difference in European Cup history. The Greek team ranked third with an odds of 4.75. Although the offensive firepower of Antetokounmpo is mainly concentrated on Antetokounmpo, the whole team has performed hard enough on the defensive end to win the game with defense. In another quarter-final, Greece eliminated Lithuania and will talk directly with Türkiye in the semi-finals to compete for a final spot.

2. Is Shin Kyung already a superstar?

Shen Jing's performance in this European Cup is amazing. He averaged 21.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game in seven games, as well as 1 steal and 0.85 blocks. He is not only the only player in the European Cup to average 20+10+5 per game, but also scored 20+5+5 in four consecutive games, becoming the first player to achieve this in 30 years.

Shin Kyung's comprehensive performance reminds people of FIBA ​​superstars like Jokic and Antetokounmpo. His teammate Kokmaz even said that Shin Kyung has surpassed Embiid to become the best center he has ever worked with. Shen Jing not only has excellent personal data, but also can drive the entire team. He hit the ground and passed the ball to his teammates who cut into the baseline, with assists and turnovers of up to 2.85, and 90% of the point guards in the game were more stable.

3. Who is the core of the Rockets, Shin Kyung or Durant?

The Houston Rockets retained Shin Kyung with a maximum salary of $185 million last summer, a contract with an annual salary of less than $40 million is quite cost-effective in the NBA market. The Rockets also obtained Kevin Durant through trade this summer, forming a remarkable internal and external combination. The Rockets' starting lineup in the new season is expected to be Van Vreet and Amen Thompson to form the backcourt, Durant and Smith Jr. serve as forwards, and Shin Kyung guards the inside. This lineup has the top five combat power in the league. The Rockets' lineup depth is enviable. The second team includes Shepard, Finney Smith, Ethan, Adams and others to fight; the third team also includes Holiday, Okogie, Tate, Jeff Green and Capela.

In the Rockets' new system, Shin Kyung and Durant will play different but equally important roles. Shin Kyung will continue to serve as the team's offensive axis to ensure the team's lower limit. His inside offense and support skills can almost always make effective offenses. Durant is mainly responsible for solving the three major problems of the Rockets last season: scoring continuity, three-point shooting and scoring ability at critical moments. He will end the game with his personal singles ability at a critical moment.

Amen Thompson, as another core, although his offensive end is slightly inferior to Shin Kyung, his upper limit is higher and he is expected to become a superstar with balanced offense and defense. Rockets coach Uduka is optimistic about the team's double tower tactics. A double tower combination of Shin Kyung with Adams or Capela will reduce Shin Kyung's offensive pressure and make him focus more on scoring and passing.

In short, Shin Kyung has proven himself to be a superstar in the FIBA ​​arena, and his comprehensive data and influence on the game are reminiscent of the young Jokic. On the NBA stage in the new season, Shin Kyung will return to the Rockets with the glory of the European Cup. There is no need to argue about who is the boss of him or Durant. It only needs to know that his combination with Durant is expected, and a new Western Conference strong team is rising.