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Philadelphia 76ers: Furkan Korkmaz getting rave reviews overseas

By Jerran Anderson

Apr 4, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown grabs a clipboard during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center. The Brooklyn Nets won 141-118. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown grabs a clipboard during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center. The Brooklyn Nets won 141-118. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers are not lacking in the scouting department. Here’s a look a 2016 NBA Draft pick Furkan Korkmaz‘s progress in Turkey.

Much like current rookie Dario Saric, 6-foot-7 shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz has taken a similar path to reach the NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers drafted Korkmaz 26th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. However, they were unable to buy out his contract with his Turkish club, Anadolu Efes, before the 2016-17 season.

Ironically, it is the same team Saric played for in 2015-16 before arriving in Philadelphia this past offseason. Korkmaz is a 19-year-old shooting guard who was recently awarded the Basketball Champions League’s (BCL) best young player award.

While on loan to Banvit from his Turkish Club, Korkmaz is averaging 10.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists through eight games in the BCL. He is shooting 42.1 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three-point land.

Korkmaz’s emergence as a slashing 2-guard is something for the Philadelphia 76ers to pay attention to. He is a young player who has developed quite nicely on the European basketball circuit. He has the ability to get open, create his own shot and can shoot the three-ball, something Philadelphia didn’t have a lot of this season.

Korkmaz isn’t scared to play on both ends of the floor either. His aggression on both ends can be combined with Joel Embiid‘s paint presence on the defensive end to create a potentially lethal combination.

Sorting through the talent

The 76ers do have a solid core of talent. They already have versatile big men in Saric and Joel Embiid. Then there’s forward Ben Simmons. Team officials hope he can man the point-forward position without issue. Now they just need playmakers to put around them to be successful.

However, Philadelphia has the potential to get two picks in the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft Lottery. If the Los Angeles Lakers‘ pick falls outside of the top-three, the pick goes to the Sixers. Currently, the Lakers have a 22.6 percent chance of getting the fourth pick and a 26.5 percent chance to get the fifth pick.

The Sixers could have a plethora of assets on their hand this offseason, which bodes well for a team looking to trust the Process. The NBA Draft Lottery makes Korkmaz’s future with the franchise an interesting one.

Philadelphia has shooting guards Nik Stauskas and Gerald Henderson on the roster. Stauskas did reasonably better in his second season with the Sixers. He’s entering the final season of his rookie contract and will be a restricted free agent in 2018. Henderson didn’t do too bad at the 2-spot either, but the Sixers could still use some depth at the position.

Next: 5 potential landing spots for Kyle Lowry in free agency

On the flip side, they have five centers currently listed on the roster. We’ll see how things change for the Philadelphia 76ers’ roster going forward this offseason, but one name to keep an eye on is Furkan Korkmaz.