The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Stating The Case For Furkan Aldemir To Start

By Josh Wilson

facebooktwitterreddit

Continuing with our recent series of “Stating The Case,” I’m evaluating what Furkan Aldemir has going for him to make it as a starter on the Philadelphia 76ers roster.

More from Sixers News

Here’s the players we’ve covered so far:

One thing Aldemir–and a lot of this young roster–has going for them is that they’re on one of the youngest, and most shallow rosters on the NBA. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of the talent the whole team has, but much of it is untapped, and yet to be at a point where it’s met its full potential.

Aldemir has a tough road to face if his goal is to be the starter, as does any front court member thats name isn’t Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel. Additionally, he’s coming off of a rookie showing that definitely wasn’t great.

Last season for the Sixers, he averaged just 2.3 points per game, and committed just as many fouls per game (2.3). Minutes was a big factor, as he only played 13.2 minutes per game. Another issue was that he just didn’t attempt many shots (1.9 per game). When he did shoot, he did it pretty well, with a  51.3% field goal percentage.

The biggest thing Furk had going for him was his rebounds. Despite only playing 13 minutes per game, he averaged 4.3 rebounds per game, and 11.7 per 36 minutes. This was the brightest spot of his rookie year. This was expected, as he was eighth in the entire Europe league as far as rebounds in 2014.

Though some were disappointed with his low scoring, I’m not surprised. In Turkey, he didn’t do much scoring either. Even during one season where he played more than 20 minutes per game, he only scored 7.8 points per game.

There are some things we are missing from Turkey though, that he could implement into his NBA game to make his case more solid. In Europe, he has averaged 1.3 blocks per game, which could be a huge defensive addition alongside Noel who averaged 1.9 last year.

In Turkey he played as a center, which could be a spot he will be getting more minutes at this year. Despite him being a little small for the position, the minutes at the four spot will be taken up mostly by Noel and Richaun Holmes.

According to Basketball Reference, Furk was used 43% of the time as a center last season. I see this going up as the four spot becomes more occupied. He played like a center last year, shooting 69.4% at the rim, and taking 62.8% of his shots there.

Although it’s been noticed that Aldemir demonstrated a bit more range than usual at EuroBasket this year, I don’t think this will translate well to the NBA. We’ll probably see him playing more as a traditional big man.

So, what’s the case for Aldemir to start? Unfortunately for him, it’s a long shot, but he has a year more experience in the NBA and several international years over Okafor and Noel. While this isn’t often seen as a reason to start, it’s one of the things he has over them. If the Sixers were going for a veteran look–which they aren’t–he would definitely make it onto the lineup.

I could see a situation where he starts a few games as a relief for Okafor as the long season may get to the rookie.

Lastly, his Batman impression is impeccable.

Next: Stating The Case For Hollis Thompson To Start

More from The Sixer Sense