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The Philadelphia 76ers needed a lot of help following the 2015-16 season where the team went just 10-72 as the process continued. One thing for sure is that they had Joel Embiid finally healthy and ready to go and they had two first-round picks in the 2016 draft.
With the first pick, they had a no brainer there in Ben Simmons out of LSU. With the 26th pick, the team had their sights on a young man from Turkey who could shoot the basketball in Furkan Korkmaz.
The Sixers selected Korkmaz with the pick and after playing one more season in Turkey, made his debut in Philadelphia in the 2017-18 season. He had a tough time getting on the court due to his tough adjustment to the NBA game as his shot did not travel across the pond just yet and his defense was not at an NBA level.
After two seasons, he seemed to have enough. He had a deal to return home and resume his basketball career there, but instead, he returned to Philadelphia seeing a new opportunity and he did not disappoint. He broke out in the 2019-20 season averaging 9.8 points and he shot 40.2% from deep as he finally had found his role on the Sixers. He even had a few games of scoring 30+ points.
As for his future with the Sixers, Korkmaz will have to continue his hot shooting to make sure they have the proper spacing offensively. He also made strides on the defensive end so far and that is something that should keep him on the floor even if he goes through any shooting slumps. [lawrence-related id=37764,37758,37755]