Philadelphia 76ers: Nik Stauskas is Irrelevant after Korkmaz

Nik Stauskas came to Philadelphia as somebody the Philadelphia76ers hoped could become a viable floor spacer and fill a long term niche. Now, the Sixers have basically rendered the struggling wing irrelevant.

When he was taken towards the middle stages of the lottery a couple years ago, Nik Stauskas was considered a lights out shooter, as well as somebody with legitimate upside as a go-to scorer at the next level. His smooth stroke and knack for racking up massive scoring nights at Michigan left many fans excited for what he could accomplish in an NBA uniform, and the Sacramento Kings were clear fans when they jumped on him with the 9th overall pick.

Now, after just two years in the league, the Philadelphia 76ers have effectively ended Stauskas’ long-term relevancy in the organization with a single draft pick, selecting Turkish stud Furkan Korkmaz with the 26th pick in this year’s draft.

Stauskas’ lack of consistency with the ball in his hands and his stark inability to contribute in any facet outside of scoring the basketball has made him a highly underwhelming NBA player thus far. Even if 24 minutes per contest with a dreadful Sixers team last season, he was unable to make an impact that would qualify him for an expanded role in any sense. His presence seemed to, at times, hinder the team more than help it, and the one skill that was his calling card heading into the league has been shaky throughout his tenure with Philly.

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Korkmaz, on the other hand, has all the skills required of a player who could far exceed Stauskas’ range of production at the next level. Standing at 6-8 with a long, wiry frame, Korkmaz has a shooting stroke that can impress in a fashion much akin to that of Stauskas during his time at Michigan, while also bringing to the proverbial table a set of athletic tools that the current Sixers wing simply doesn’t match up with.

Whether it’s creating space off the dribble or spotting up, Korkmaz’s jumper is much more difficult to contest given the separation he’s able to create with his length and elevation alone. He’s bouncy around the basket as well, and has the ball handling skills needed to work his way around the defense and cut into the lane effectively.

Even though he lacks core strength in some regards, he’ll be able to mobilize around the court much better than Stauskas, and is far less limited from an athletic perspective. He gives the Sixers a more dynamic threat on the outside, and is somebody who could very well play more efficiently in the process given Stauskas’ erratic decision making from time to time.

Korkmaz brings a much more fluid scoring option in general, as well as a more polished offensive threat all around. He has tools that give him far greater upside in terms of his developmental standing, while also giving him a base level of production entering the league that could outperform Stauskas from day one.

The cultural shift Philly is currently experiencing doesn’t bode all that well for Stauskas either. Bryan Colangelo has already established himself as somebody focused on upping the team’s level of competitiveness moving forwards, setting aside static asset evolution in favor of moves that increase the immediate win total.

Stauskas was not only a Sam Hinkie move that Colangelo’s principles don’t quite jive with, but he has failed to prove that he’s worth investing in as a long term contributor to a winning rotation. Colangelo isn’t likely to have the longest leash with Stauskas as it stands, and the fact that he went out and drafted somebody in Korkmaz that he saw fit as a first round pick with guaranteed money moving forwards only makes it worse.

There’s always room for improvement, and this is by no means a certain end to Stauskas’ NBA career as a whole. There’s always a chance that his physicality is able to improve and he finds a system, as well as a level of on-court maturity, that allows him to blossom into some semblence of what many thought he could be upon entering the league as a rookie.

With that said, it simply doesn’t seem like the Sixers are going to be the team he’s able to do that with. Bryan Colangelo has no predetermined reason to give him a lengthy time period for improvement nor to invest in him as somebody who can help contribute given their plethora of additions on the wing this offseason, and Furkan Korkmaz, albeit not in the league yet, is the most prevalent of the bunch.

Next: 5 New Faces That Will Help the Sixers Win

The Sixers drafted a 19-year-old who fills the same role Stauskas does in a more all-encompassing manner in terms of skill set, and that’s never a good sign for the player currently sitting on the roster bubble.

Furkan Korkmaz Makes Nik Stauskas Irrelevant for Philadelphia 76ers

By Christopher Kline | Aug 15, 2016

Nik Stauskas came to Philadelphia as somebody the Philadelphia76ers hoped could become a viable floor spacer and fill a long term niche. Now, the Sixers have basically rendered the struggling wing irrelevant.

More from The Sixer Sense