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.

Lisfranc injury

The Lisfranc injury is not a common foot injury. But with the diagnosis to Furkan Korkmaz, what are we looking at? While not an immediate treatment, the injury is often a candidate for surgery.  A Lisfranc injury is an injury to the bone, connective tissue, or both of the middle foot.

The healing time of a Lisfranc injury is rather lengthy.  That is due to the complex nature of the injury. Ligaments, bones, tendons and cartilage can all contribute to the injury, and each must be repaired separately but in concert with repairs to all other tissue at the injury site.

If no surgery is required, the patient must follow the RICE regiment (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) while connective tissue in the foot heals. Mobility is only possible after a weight-bearing removable cast boot is fitted to the injured foot. There can be no weight on the foot for up to six weeks time.  Following this, rehab for several months are required to build strength and flexibility.

Operation Lisfranc

If surgery is warranted, the post surgery recovery is intense.  Repairs to the injury site may require:
removal of bone chips (fractures)
repair ligament tears (sprains)
restore bones to original position (dislocation)

Rehabilitation from surgery requires even more time. Up to eight weeks of the weight-bearing removable cast boot, followed by a month or more of limited weight bearing walking boot.  Following this, rehabilitation begins, with a focus on maintaining arch support with appropriate insoles, and a gradual elevation of exercises to restore strength and flexibility to the injury site.

With the season already nearing the end of December, the remainder of the season for Furkan Kormaz is likely in question now.  But he is a seldom used player. So what?  Well, there are three major complications to the teams upcoming off-season moves as a result:

2018  off-season impact

There are three major decisions which are impacted by this injury. The team intended to use this season to gauge the fit of Furkan Korkmaz to the Philadelphia 76ers roster.  The results of that assessment would then play a major role in determining:

Impact I – How to handle the expiring contract of J.J. Redick.

The Philadelphia 76ers need perimeter shooting to fill-in the offense between the paint-dominating play of Joel Embiid, and the run-and-gun-to-the-basket of Ben Simmons.   To score at the perimeter, the team rented the sharp-shooting J.J. Redick in free agency.  But Redick is delivering a 38.4 percent shot despite a 41.4 percent career average.  And he came at a heavy one-season cost.

So the original thought was to see how Markelle Fultz, Furkan Korkmaz, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot gradually assumed the responsibility of the three.  So far, none have done so. And with Fultz out to begin the season, and Korkmaz’s season all but over, the team must try to judge the best step for the off-season with little empirical evidence.  That is not how the front office saw this season playing out.

2017 draft and stash decisions

Impact II – How to handle the three players drafted in 2017 and stashed overseas?

From the moment the Philadelphia 76ers drafted after Markelle Fultz, most guessed those players were looking at playing overseas for at least one year. With an injured Furkan Korkmaz, and with his limited play in the 2017-2018 season, the 76ers front office must weigh the pros and cons of adding more players to the roster to develop next year.  The team will have holes in the roster with the expiration of both Amir Johnson and J.J. Redick contracts. Plus the team currently has a hole from the Jahlil Okafor trade which sent both he and Nik Stauskas to the Brooklyn Nets for Trevor Booker.

The deferment of Korkmaz for the season (or majority of it) places his timetable of development into the 2018-2019 season. That will limit the team’s ability to take on three more prospects to deliver.  As such, that will likely delay the arrival of french wing Mathias Lessort. While some optimistically project the 6-foot-9 Frenchman as an NBA center, he is more likely projected as an NBA wing. As such, he needs to work on his perimeter shot.  And with the team likely working on a rehabbing Korkmaz, there may simply not be enough room at the inn.

2018 NBA Draft decisions

While the Philadelphia 76ers are currently looking at a six-pack of draft picks in the 2018 NBA Draft, there is some question at to which position will be emphasized in the draft. After all, two first round picks and four second round picks are a solid haul.  But what will the Philadelphia 76ers do with six new prospects on top of three international players currently aiming to join the team in 2018?  Now add the additional weight of a rookie player who will be returning to the team next season, and you see how this quickly becomes a conundrum.

Winds of change are afoot…

So what is the change of strategy? Well, the team will likely be very open to trade or sale of second round draft picks once more, despite early round picks at 40 and 41. And that could also change the team’s priority with the Lakers first round lottery pick as well.  If the team does not re-sign Redick, the injury to Korkmaz will make the wing position a priority in the 2018 NBA Draft. With the team set at center and point player, the roster will need to elevate the quality of perimeter shooting.

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In the end, the front office of the Philadelphia 76ers will be putting in extra hours to sort out the aftermath of Furkan Korkmaz’s foot injury.  Many questions – expecting answers through the course of this season – will now remain unanswered. And so, the team must now adjust to what the season will give them once more.  It may mean nothing. Or it could make a huge difference. But whichever future plays out, keep this event in mind. It will have repercussions for years to come.