Furkan Aldemir Aids Struggling 76ers Rebounding
They have struggled at basically everything this season, but the Philadelphia 76ers rebounding has been one of their biggest issues. The Sixers rank 28th in the league in defensive rebounds per game, and 24th in defensive rebounding percentage. Philadelphia is actually floating around league average in defensive efficiency (18th at 106.8 points allowed per 100 possessions), but their inability to grab defensive rebounds has hurt them on that end. However, that’s getting much better, now that Furkan Aldemir is around.
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A lot of the problem with the Sixers’ rebounding this season has been a product of personnel. Michael Carter-Williams is an excellent rebounder at the point guard position, and Nerlens Noel has been acceptable in his rookie season. Beyond those two, however, the Sixers have lacked quality rebounders, a huge issue given the team’s size. Henry Sims isn’t good for a center, Hollis Thompson is a woeful rebounder given his size at shooting guard, and the rest of the Sixers’ wings don’t exactly excel as team rebounders.
Aldemir, however, is a different story. As a 6’9″, 225 pound power forward, Aldemir’s size doesn’t exactly scream “power rebounder.” However, Aldemir has shown that he can attack the glass consistently thanks to great instincts and positioning. Aldemir is great at leveraging position down low, using his strong lower body to create space on the baseline, and it makes him a very talented space-eater down low. That was a calling card for him at Galatasaray, where he averaged 11.8 rebounds per 36 minutes over his four-year career.
Dec 15, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Furkan Aldemir (19) shoots and makes is first NBA basket in a game against the Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center. The Celtics defeated the 76ers 105-87. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The Turkish big man’s rebounding has been just as good through seven games in the NBA. While he’s only played 70 minutes so far, which is a small sample size, Aldemir is averaging 4.3 rebounds per game and posting a total rebounding percentage of 23.5 percent, the highest on the team. His defensive rebounding percentage is at 29.7 percent, which is even better. Overall, Aldemir, known as “Mr. Rebound” in Turkey, is grabbing 61.2 percent of available rebounds, and has certainly lived up to that moniker’s billing.
Mr. Rebound’s presence also has made the Sixers’ lineups much, much better at rebounding overall. While Aldemir’s contributions individually have had a large impact on the defensive end, as a team, they get a significant boost on the offensive glass, jumping from a 24.5 ORB percentage with him off the court to 40.8 percentage with him on. The Sixers total rebounding percentage jumps similarly, from 47.8 percent off court to 55.9 percent when he’s in the lineup. That’s the difference between going from the Sixers’ second-to-last mark in total rebound rate to better than the Kings’ best overall mark. Similarly, the Sixers have made marked overall improvement as a team since Aldemir joined the squad, jumping up to 20th in the league in TRB percentage over the ten games since Aldemir joined the roster.
The interesting thing about how the Sixers have used Aldemir so far is that he’s often been used as a small-ball five. Aldemir’s two most common lineups feature him with an athletic power forward, K.J. McDaniels, Jerami Grant, and a point guard. However, the Tony Wroten/McDaniels/Robert Covington/Grant/Aldemir lineup has a total rebounding percentage of 62.5 percent, and the JaKarr Sampson/McDaniels/Grant/Malcolm Thomas/Aldemir lineup is rebounding at an even 60 percent, both impressive small-ball rebounding numbers. While these lineups have only been together for ten and seven minutes, respectively, and both have horrendous net ratings, it’s a great indicator of the impact Aldemir has as a rebounder.
The next step for Aldemir will be proving he’s worth earning minutes next to Sims and Noel in regular lineups. The most time Aldemir has spent so far next to either of these two in a lineup is four minutes, and it seems like Brett Brown is more intent on keeping Aldemir in bench-heavy units while Sims and Noel sit. So far the Sixers are 15 points per 100 possessions worse overall with Aldemir on the floor, as the defense seems to die with him out there. That could be sample size, though, and means that maybe an Aldemir/Noel front court could work, although neither can score.
It will be interesting to see how the Sixers continue to use Aldemir in the coming weeks, as the team continues to integrate him into the lineup. In limited minutes he’s shown to be an excellent rebounder, and there’s reason to believe that he can turn into a useful two-way player due to his rebounding skill. Aldemir’s been a major bright spot for the team this season, and it’s good to have him around.