Philadelphia 76ers: Does Furkan Korkmaz have a future in Philly?

Keep Korkmaz

On the surface the Philadelphia 76ers choice should be clear; extend Korkmaz past this season.

At the tender age of 21, Furkie has only scratched the surface of his potential as an NBA player and could continue to develop into a serious contributor on a team destined for postseason berths for the foreseeable future.

At 6-foot-7, 190-pounds, Korkmaz is a textbook example of a modern-day 3-and-D winger, capable of guarding, and taking on opposing shooting guard and small forwards.

Want proof? Look no further than his Real Plus-Minus numbers. Though he’s only appeared in 20 of the Sixers 28 games so far this season, Korkmaz has a defensive RPM of .23, the 18th highest mark of any player in the league. While his offensive ranking leaves a bit to be desired at -1.15, if Korkmaz’s recent offensive ingenuity is of any indication, that number should rise steadily alongside his attempts per game.

No wonder the talent evaluators at NBADraft.Net compared Korkmaz to Gordon Hayward during the pre-draft process.

The last time I checked, he’s a former All-Star playing on a four-year max contract.

Will Korkmaz ever ascend to that level and become a legitimate star, let alone a starter? Who knows, but with his prime still 2-3 years away, it would behoove the Philadelphia 76ers to find out, even if they have to pay a little extra to keep him in-house.