Philadelphia 76ers: 5 players to watch during the 2019 preseason
Furkan Korkmaz
Out of all the players on the Sixers roster, Korkmaz has the most to lose this upcoming season. Despite showing improvement in his first season to second, the wing his very close to being considered a bust. The team didn’t exercise his rookie option, but then re-signed him this summer to a two-year deal, with the second year not guaranteed.
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The former first round pick hasn’t lived up to his draft status thus far. Last season, he averaged 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists, while making 40.0 percent of his shots from the field and 32.6 percent of his 3-point attempts. Not a good stat line for a guy who was projected to be a shooter when he got drafted. The preseason hasn’t been kind to him either. In the first preseason matchup, he had one point and two rebounds.
With Korkmaz’s poor track record and the team’s new found depth, it will be hard for him to have a role this season. James Ennis, Zhaire Smith and Matisse Thybulle all seem to be in the front of the race for minutes off the bench as wings. If he impresses in the preseason, then there’s a chance that he could find his way into a role as a reserve. If not, then he could be riding the bench for the majority of the season.