Furkan Korkmaz injury complicates Philadelphia 76ers off-season

As Furkan Korkmaz’s injury plays out, there is more at stake. His injury complicates the upcoming Philadelphia 76ers off-season strategy.

If you think that Furkan Korkmaz is not a significant contributor for the Philadelphia 76ers, you are 100 percent correct. His major contribution so far has been on the assignment roster of the Delaware 87ers. Or rather, was. You see, rookie wing Furkan Korkmaz is out indefinitely.

While that may not concern the casual Philadelphia 76ers fan, there are plenty out there who study the game and the strategies within as a chess master studies a board before making their next move.

Philadelphia 76ers fans are astute. While some merely chant the “Off with Brett Brown’s Head!” after each loss, the majority are fully versed in player development, learning curve, playing time, and rotation limits with the existing team. In short, there is no magic dust to sprinkle on the team when three-point shooters are not hitting the basket, when the key ball handlers are coughing up turnovers, or defensive players are in early foul trouble.   But there is a manner to develop a young player to an NBA level.

Rookie wings clipped

Furkan Korkmaz is a 6-foot-7 190 pound rookie wing who was drafted 26th in the 2016 NBA Draft.  Similar in skillsets to Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, but two years his junior, Korkmaz spent the entirety of last season in the Euroleague, improving his skills, maturity, and experience.

He petitioned to join the Philadelphia 76ers this season, which the team agreed to do.  But agreeing to sign Korkmaz was a far different path then agreeing to play Korkmaz. At the 27 game mark, rookie Korkmaz saw just six games of playing time.

The Lisfranc injury is a concern. It’s a complex injury to one of the most vulnerable parts of an NBA basketball player’s body: his foot.

Philadelphia 76ers know all about a basketball player’s foot. Thank the experience of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons for that.