The Emergence of Furkan Korkmaz
Last year, he was a man hated by his own team’s fanbase. It looked like he had played his last game for not only the 76ers but in the NBA. This offseason, however, Elton Brand made the surprising move to bring back Furkan Korkmaz.
A move which at the time made many Sixers fans take to social media to voice their displeasures. Now, Korkmaz is the leading scorer off the bench and the team’s best three-point shooter.
The 76ers’ most improved player this season has been 3rd-year wing Furkan Korkmaz. He started his season off with a bang, hitting a game-winning three-pointer against the Portland Trail Blazers in just the fifth game of the season. Korkmaz has established himself as the Sixers’ best offensive weapon off of the bench, leading all non-starters in both minutes and points. For the season, he is playing 20.7 minutes per game, scoring 8.9 points per game and shooting 39.5% from three, on 4.6 attempts per game.
Korkmaz has been on fire in his last five games*. In that stretch, he has averaged 16.6 PPG, making 3.8 three-pointers a game shooting 50% from behind the arc in just over 24 minutes per game.
The 76ers are 4-1 in that span and Korkmaz has easily been a big part in that. But obviously, Korkmaz is not the only one to step up in the absence of Joel Embiid. Ben Simmons has been huge, winning Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Al Horford, Tobias Harris, and Matisse Thybulle have all also stepped up in a large way. Not to mention Josh Richardson, who won Eastern Conference Player of the Week before Simmons did.
Unfortunately, the aforementioned Richardson joined Embiid on the injury report during a loss to the Toronto Raptors. That expands the role of Korkmaz even more now. Korkmaz likely will now start in place of Richardson while he is injured.
Korkmaz has come a long way in less than a year. He went from an afterthought for the 76ers free agency to a temporary starter for the team. It is obvious watching Korkmaz play that he has gained so much confidence and it is exciting and fun to watch him grow in front of our eyes. His newfound ability to put the ball on the floor and drive for a floater or mid-range shot has made him much more versatile in the offense.
Patience is something that 76ers fans never had for Korkmaz. Not only did he stay in Europe his first year after being drafted, but then he joined the 76ers right when they went from a bottom-3 team in the NBA to the third seed in the East. Philadelphia drafted Korkmaz an entire 4 years ago, the 26th pick in the 2016 draft.
The most exciting thing about Korkmaz is the fact that I had to double and triple check when I heard it.
For as exciting and fun to watch the obvious growth and potential that Matisse Thybulle has, it has to be said that Furkan Korkmaz is actually younger than Thybulle is.
Featured Image: Matt Slocum/Associated Press
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Categorized:Sixers