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Fansided

Sixers’ Draft Pick Furkan Korkmaz Showing Off Shooting Touch With New Club

By George Kondoleon

May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown represents his team during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown represents his team during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sixers draft and stash player Furkan Korkmaz is finding his outside shot effective in a bigger role with Banvit Basketbol Kulubu.

Furkan Korkmaz was another victim of being a young, promising player on a highly-talented and competitive Anadolu Efes team. When the Sixers drafted him in the 2016 NBA Draft, they did so basing it off his promise of an efficient catch and shoot option. He had very little playing time in Efes, where his future teammate Dario Saric led the squad in 2015-16.

Efes loaned Korkmaz out to a lesser team, Banvit Basketbol Kulubu. This gave the Turkish shooter more of an opportunity for minutes. Korkmaz has played a total of ten games thus far, half in the Turkish Basketball League (BSL) and half in the the Basketball Champions League (BCL). Korkmaz has seen some inconsistent playing time, but overall his outside shooting has seen a decent development.

In the five BSL games, Korkmaz’s outside shooting was 23.8% from three-point range, causing some concern if he could actually be the outside threat the Sixers need. He did find other ways to score, going 10-15 on two-point shots. His defense is nothing to assess, as his offensive game is what will propel him to the NBA, if he ever comes over.

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Korkmaz’s performance in the BCL gives a lot more to be excited about. Korkmaz is 7-for-13 from three-point range, and seemingly getting comfortable next to his teammates. He is excellent in finding his spots from the outside in transition, but still has trouble freeing himself up for shots in half-court sets. That could be a result in poor offensive schemes, but either way Korkmaz is as much of a raw prospect as he was on draft night.

He may bet the tradable asset the Sixers could use in a deal to sweeten the pot, as the team is moving on quicker than expected. Furkan Korkmaz is a long-term project, and whether the development comes in Turkey or the NBA, he will have to adapt off-ball skills to become an effective role player.

Korkmaz is not a similar scenario to Dario Saric. Saric’s unusual skill-set for a player his size gave match-up problems for other teams even at a young age. That’s why he was able to eventually gain minutes with Efes.

Korkmaz is nothing but a pure shooter, which is not a bad thing considering today’s NBA. I’d expect him to become expendable however, depending on what kind of moves the team makes this offseason. Either way, Korkmaz will continue to nail outside shots with bumps in the road, but right now he’s showing promise.