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For the Philadelphia 76ers to have any success on the offensive end with their current roster, they needed to grow a 3-point shooter. They had let JJ Redick walk in free agency and they needed to find somebody to help spread the floor.
Enter the third-year guard from Turkey, Furkan Korkmaz. After having a very uneven second season, Korkmaz was getting set to go back to Turkey, but he then had a chance of heart and returned to Philadelphia and he had himself a terrific regular season.
2019-20 season averages
9.8 points
2.3 rebounds
1.1 assists
43% overall percentage
40.2% from deep
Korkmaz morphed into a terrific shooter for Philadelphia this season and it was huge for their offensive success. He shot it with confidence all season long and he even scored over 30 points a few times during the year. He also showed off some other parts of his game that had not been seen before. He was putting the ball on the floor a bit and he was knocking down the pull-up jumper. He also improved on defense.
The only thing that really stood out were his splits as a starter and as a reserve. He shot only 33.9% from deep in 12 games as a starter and he shot 41.4% from deep in 50 games off the bench. He also shot 46% from deep at home compared to 34.6% from deep on the road as he was a microcosm of the Sixers when it comes to their home and road splits all season.
The playoffs were a different story. After such a terrific regular season shooting the ball, he was a mess in the playoffs against the Boston Celtics. He shot 0-for-6 from deep in the sweep and he scored a grand total of three points in the series. The Sixers desperately needed him to knock down some shots in the playoffs and he was not able to do so.
Heading into the 2020-21 season, Korkmaz needs to continue to work on his offensive game and become a more complete player. The Sixers saw a glimpse out of him throughout the season, but Philadelphia will need more out of him going forward. [lawrence-related id=37378,37373,37370]