The Philadelphia 76ers are still trying to figure out how to best use their roster and figure out how to get some consistent scoring off the bench. One aspect of the team that coach Brett Brown has begun to figure out is the role of Furkan Korkmaz.
All season, Brown has been wanting to grow a “bomber”–or “bombah” if you want to use Brown’s accent–off his bench. Korkmaz has really morphed into that role as he has shot 39.7% from deep on the season.
So, why not have that type of production in the starting lineup to help the spacing? Well, because Korkmaz shoots 41.1% from deep off the bench compared to just 33.9% as a starter. He also averaged 10.1 points as a reserve and 8.5 as a starter. That is why Brown wants Korkmaz to continue to come off the bench, even using Los Angeles Clippers bench star Lou Williams as an example.
“Just having an offensive possibility, off the bench,” Brown said Tuesday. “I use the other night Lou Williams comes off the bench, as an example, most of the time and just like bam bam, it’s instant offense and so for me, it’s that when you start playing out in substituting the fact that you can have lightning in a bottle, they can come in and just knock down some threes and get us some buckets.”
Korkmaz is capable of big scoring games off the bench. For example, he had back-to-back 30+ point games off the bench right before the All-Star break and he was then rewarded with a start where he went scoreless. It isn’t like he hasn’t earned the right to start, it’s all about producing and that is why Brown wants him off the bench.
“It’s driven mostly for that reason,” Brown added. “More than it is like he doesn’t deserve to start that wouldn’t be true.”
Korkmaz had eight points while knocking down two triples against the Clippers to begin the trip before scoring 11 points with three more triples against the Los Angeles Lakers two nights later.
Philadelphia takes on the Sacramento Kings at 10:00 p.m. EST on Thursday and they will need Korkmaz to do much more to help the shorthanded Sixers get a win. [lawrence-related id=27126,27149,27141]