The Sixers’ pursuit of building a solid bench continues with yet another ‘Woj Bomb’. This time, Philly has signed former draftee Furkan Korkmaz to a two-year deal.
This contract is interesting given that the young forward seemed intent on forcing a trade due to a lack of playing time. A flurry of moves and an average of 19 minutes of court time per game later and those concerns seem to have dissipated.
The Sixers opted against picking up his third-year option and initially he was unable to crack the starting rotation which is what sparked that friction. But they say time heals all wounds and Korkmaz might fare better way from the pressures of having to perform consistently.
Korkmaz had a strong Summer League outing and followed it up by averaging 5.8 points per game. Drafted 26th overall in the 2016 draft, he’s not played a substantial role but has proven himself as a player who can come in and score in a pinch, with standout performances against Memphis and Miami (where he scored a career-high 16 points and hit 3-6 three’s) springing to mind.
He’s hot and cold, but he’s also cheap, cheerful, and young. This move can only be seen as a positive for a team striving to fill as many cracks in the bench as they can.
