Philadelphia 76ers: 3 players who exceeded expectations in 2019-20

2. Furkan Korkmaz

At the end of the 2018-19 season, it seemed unlikely that Furkan Korkmaz would ever don a Sixers uniform again. Extremely raw and rarely used, the Sixers did not pick up his team option for this season. However, in perhaps a surprising move, the Sixers re-signed the third-year guard from Turkey to a two-year deal this summer.

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And we’re glad they did.

Korkmaz is averaging 9.7 points while shooting around 40 percent from three on five attempts in nearly 22 minutes per game. He has become the bomber that head coach Brett Brown told the world the Sixers were growing. He exceeded the expectations many had for him when he hit a game-winning shot against the Portland Trail Blazers at the very beginning of the season. Since then, however, he has further grown into his own and became the Sixers’ best shooter and one of their most important players.

His consistent shooting has been crucial for opening up the floor for Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, and he has often been the most consistent and most impactful player coming off the bench.

As the only true shooter on the Sixers, Korkmaz’s production is immensely important for the success of the team, and his rise has been one of the most surprising parts of the Sixers’ checkered season.