Philadelphia 76ers: Furkan Korkmaz needs to ride the wave

March hasn’t been too kind to the Philadelphia 76ers‘ second-longest tenured player, Furkan Korkmaz.

Following a slow start to the season, Kork found his footing just before Christmas and averaged an even 10 points per game from December 23rd through January 29th. While his 3 ball wasn’t falling at a particularly good clip, his playmaking, rebounding, and general offensive effort helped the Sixers out in a big way, and his minutes were a net positive – via a +2.3 plus-minus – as a result.

Had Korkmaz not suffered a sore knee that held him out of three games between January 31st through February 4th, maybe his momentum would have rolled into the trade deadline, but unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. When he finally retook the court versus the Chicago Bulls on February 6th, his minutes, points, and other stats all took a hit, and once James Harden made his way to South Philly, those numbers dipped down even further.

After scoring only 15 points over a seven-game run paired up with Harden, Korkmaz was put on ice by Doc Rivers, with his chances to rejoin the rotation very much up in the air… at least until a fateful Monday night in South Philadelphia, where a pair of DNPs opened up some minutes for the “Turkish Delight” to run wild on an unsuspecting Miami Heat team.

Will Furkan Korkmaz be able to build on that momentum and ride the wave into the 2022 NBA playoffs a valuable sixth man once more? For the entire sake of the Philadelphia 76ers’ fanbase, let’s hope it’s a resounding yes.

An effective Furkan Korkmaz could really help the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 2021-22 season has been a weird ride for Furkan Korkmaz.

On one hand, it’s been his least efficient season since 2018-19, with fewer points per game and lower shooting percentages from both beyond the arc and the field as a whole than during his two previous campaigns. Despite some promising performances coming off the bench in 2021 that effectively afforded him a new three-year, $15 million extension, Korkmaz proved ill-equipped to play the role of 3-and-D wing coming off the bench, as he shot 30.6 percent on catch-and-shoot-3s, and that, when coupled with his ineffective defense, left more than a few fans expecting to see him moved this offseason.

But then again, shooting alone isn’t all Korkmaz brings to the table, not in 2021-22 anyway.

No, with Ben Simmons out and James Harden an unrealistic trade target, Doc Rivers put his trust in Korkmaz, the point guard for the Turkish national team, to facilitate some offense and, to his credit, the former first-round pick delivered better than most expected. Playing a career-high 22.5 minutes per game when actually afforded a chance to take the court, Korkmaz has averaged a career-high 2.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game while taking and making a career-high 1.7 of his 3.3 attempts from 2 point range.

While those numbers don’t seem particularly impressive, when you consider it’s the first time in Korkmaz’s career where he’s averaged more passes than minutes played, it shows a concerted effort by the fifth-year guard/forward to get his teammates involved.

If deployed in a lineup that actually complements his game, which, according to the NBA’s two-man lineup statistic, should include Joel Embiid over Harden, Korkmaz’s ability to keep the ball moving, make quick decisions, and score in a number of different ways could prove to be an asset once more, even if his ineffective outside shot could limit his eventual minutes when the rotation contracts come playoff time.

If Doc Rivers is looking for a dead-eyed shooter coming off the bench who can help to fill the hole left by Seth Curry, Furkan Korkmaz isn’t his guy. Unless things change up in a big way, Korkmaz looks destined for a final 3 point shooting percentage that’s well below average. If, however, the Philadelphia 76ers want a guy who can get the ball in to Joel Embiid in the paint, run some pick-and-rolls, and keep the ball moving when James Harden is on the bench, then riding the pride of Istanbul, Turkey down the stretch might just prove beneficial, especially if he – and Shake Milton – can continue to perform in an effective reserve backcourt when Tyrese Maxey needs a break. With the playoffs rapidly approaching, why not give it one last go?