With the 26th pick in the 2016 NBA draft Philadelphia took the lengthy shooter out of Turkey Furkan Korkmaz. What they knew? He would be a project for his first year in the NBA, but they never knew he could develop into the solid perimeter piece that they need today. With the team lacking deadeye shooting among the guards, Korkmaz has been a spot up asset, as well as a nice complement to Josh Richardson. Even better is his defense is coming along too, and as of late, he has been a passing threat with Ben Simmons which makes for a lethal combination. The skies the limit for the young 6’4 guard as it seems he has all the skills to become a deep range threat in the league.
During the season Korkmaz has averaged a career high best; 8 points per game, and 2 rebounds, while shooting an impressive 37.1% in his near 20 minutes per game. On the defensive side of the ball Korkmaz has; 0.6 steals and 0.2 blocks per game. As these stats look minimal, they are a far cry from his early G-League figures. The second half of the season has looked strong for him. Through November and December he's averaging about 8.6 points per game with a career high 21 point game against Detroit followed by a 16 point outing the next night. His shooting has leapfrogged from the 1st part of the season where he is .401 from downtown. Sadly 2020 hasn't been his year so far, but look for more minutes and production out of Korkmaz as the Sixers look to make a playoff push.
Not only has Korkmaz wowed us from the arch and on defense, he's looked good in the transition game. During games you can see Korkmaz hitting the corners on breaks, and getting open for an outlet pass beyond the arch. Not to mention his passing, which he showed off against the Pacers (01/13/20), hitting Simmons and Horford for easy lay-ups at the cup.
The questions still remain though for a guy who wasn't thought of highly in the offseason by the coaching staff, and still could have a chip on his shoulder. Brett Brown was open this offseason, about letting Korkmaz walk and freeing up cap space (although he's not much of a cap hit). The coach was hesitant to put him in earlier this year too. The first month of the season Korkmaz only averaged 15 minutes played, a far cry from his 25 in December.Â
 He's been the center of trade talks for years with the Sixers, he was mentioned in the Tobias Harris trade. However Landry Shamet ended up leaving.
All in all it will be a long road fro the 2nd year guard out of Turkey, but if his play continues to climb Korkmaz could be a valuable shooter in the postseason, and for seasons to come.
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