According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, former Sixers first-rounder Furkan Korkmaz will be sidelined for roughly two weeks with a left adductor strain.
This is a blow to the 23-year-old who posted 11 points in the season-opening win over Washington, nailing 3 of 5 three-point attempts. Since then, he’s been much colder. A combined 7 points in 25 minutes over the last two games have not been good enough at all.
Last season with the Sixers, Furkan averaged 9.8 points and shot 40.2% from beyond the three-point arc on 4.9 attempts per game. This 3-point percentage ranked 4th on the team last year, behind Shake Milton, Trey Burke, and Alec Burks, who all had a much smaller sample size.
His injury should open the doors up to expanded looks for both Matisse Thybulle, who today had his third-year option with the team picked up, and first-round rookie Tyrese Maxey, who played in 22 minutes against the Cavs.
Thybulle in particular could really benefit from the extra minutes after a poor preseason led to a minimized role through the opening few games. The vlogging sensation enjoyed a dominant rookie campaign on the defensive side of the ball, but has been unable to find his rhythm under Doc Rivers, who has preached patience when discussing his development.
The Sixers sit fifth in the East after 3 games and have some tricky games in the time that Korkmaz will miss. They’ll face the Raptors, Hawks, and Nets between now and that initial estimate for a return. Not only will Maxey and Thybulle have a chance to prove their worth, but they’ll get to do so against some of the best talents in the league.
Philadelphia returns to action tomorrow night in a clash with Toronto that already has the attention of just about every fan who has ever watched a Sixers game. They’ll go into the matchup a little shorthanded, with Joel Embiid also questionable, but maybe this cloud has a bright silver lining.
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
