5. Furkan Korkmaz vs. Landry Shamet
The Sixers’ rotation is mostly set. The starting five, Markelle Fultz, Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, Amir Johnson and T.J. McConnell will dominate the playing time. There isn’t much room for others to crack the rotation.
With that said, both Furkan Korkmaz and Landry Shamet provide something the Sixers’ second unit lacks: shooting. The only proven shooters in the second unit are Muscala and Chandler, while only the former is consistently above the league-average mark.
Getting one of their young sharpshooters in the game for 10-15 minutes some nights might make sense. The question is which one deserves the playing time.
Korkmaz lit up Summer League, dropping 40 points against the Celtics and leading the Sixers on offense. Shamet went down with a sprained ankle in the first game, cutting his Vegas stint short. That would seemingly give Korkmaz the upper hand.
With that said, Shamet is probably the better player at this point. Unlike Korkmaz, who has been inconsistent throughout his career, Shamet was a career 43.7 percent three-point shooter in college. He’s also a more polished playmaker, running the point for Wichita State.
While athletic limitations hurt him, Shamet is probably less of a defensive liability than Korkmaz as well. Furkan has the size advantage, but his thin frame and lackluster footwork didn’t hold up well in Summer League. Shamet has the basketball I.Q. needed to become a passable team defender.
We’ll see if either one gains separation in tonight’s scrimmage.