On Tuesday, Turkish shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz officially agreed to a four-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. Drafted by the Sixers 26th overall in 2016, Korkmaz is yet another talented young player signing up to “the process”.
In other news, Furkan Korkmaz officially signed his deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 19-year-old was the 26th pick in the 2016 draft. pic.twitter.com/Rn1c47vgJ0
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 4, 2017
Furkan Korkmaz Signs Four-Year Deal with Philadelphia 76ers
Who is Furkan Korkmaz?
Born in Istanbul, Korkmaz began playing the game of basketball at just nine years of age. Clearly an outstanding talent at a young age, he was scouted and signed by Turkish giants Anadolu Efes. Joining a team known for producing future NBA players, Korkmaz joins a list of players who have made the jump from Efes to the association, with the likes of Dario Šarić, Ersan İlyasova and Hedo Türkoğlu all playing for the 13-times Turkish League Champions.
Korkmaz went on to have a good career in Turkey as a teenager, winning two Turkish Cups, a Dunk Contest dressed as Darth Vader and being named to three All-Star teams. Mature beyond his age, Korkmaz enters the NBA with vast experience. Having played at a high level for club and country, the 19-year-old should adapt to the NBA as well as any college player. It’s clear the Sixers have signed a talented young man with a good personality.
Sixers Statement
Announcing the signing on Tuesday, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo had this to say in a statement.
“We are happy to have Furkan Korkmaz join us in Philadelphia this year where we feel he will be best positioned to develop physically and acclimate to the NBA game. “Furkan is another talented young player that we are excited to have in our program.”
An Abundance of Shooting Guards in Philly
Set to join an up and coming roster, Korkmaz has some good competition for minutes. Recent free-agent signing J.J. Redick is likely to start for Brett Brown’s team, meaning the primary backup role is up for grabs. Korzmaz is capable of playing the small forward role, however, expect him to play primarily at two-guard early on. Nik Stauskas and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot currently sit above Korkmaz on the depth chart due to their NBA experience. Both players will battle for minutes off the bench in Philadelphia.
Now, it’s unrealistic for the Sixers to have four shooting guards, so expect them to move some things around. This is a good problem for the Sixers to deal with. At least one of these young guards will take control of the backup role and potentially replace Redick down the line.
Can we Trust “The Process”?
It is fair to say this Sixers team has a problem; The likes of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and others have previously struggled with injury. So can we really trust this Sixers team?
When Embiid has more Twitter minutes than NBA minutes, there is cause for concern. The Cameroonian center was impressive last season, despite playing just 31 games. Then we come to Simmons, a player who was drafted No. 1 overall last season. Yet to play an NBA game, Simmons is a bit of a myth. He may be talented but until we see the goods, who can really know if he’s the real deal? This season’s No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz has also struggled slightly with injury and we could go on and on.
We can only hope this talented young team can put it all together. But until that day comes, it’s a nervy time being a Sixers fan.
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