Sixers bench players with the most to prove

Sixers bench players with most to prove: Furkan Korkmaz

The Sixers’ bench player with the most to prove is Furkan Korkmaz. Let’s face it: when Korkmaz is on, he is impressive. When he is off, let’s just say he looks like he could barely play for the Delaware Blue Coats.

He has been with the Sixers since 2017, and his numbers improved in the subsequent two seasons. This year? Korkmaz is underperforming and hurting the bench production in the process.

He is averaging 7.3 points a game on 37 percent shooting. His tepid offensive scoring beyond the arc is a disappointing 31 percent. Because he is so one-dimensional, should he be having an off-night shooting, his defense compounds the struggles for a bench unit that has already missed multiple games by Shake Milton. If Korkmaz does not get hot, and do it quickly, Morey could use his trade value to be shipped off for a more reliable scorer.

For Korkmaz, there are no more excuses. It is his fourth year, and he must redeem himself from a horrendous playoff performance last season. A stat line that Korkmaz, along with Sixer fans, hope to erase in April is the Boston series nightmare. In four games versus the Celtics, Korkmaz averaged 0.8 points per game. His only points came from free throws. In almost 40 minutes of play that series, he did not score a single field goal.

Luckily, the Sixers have Shake Milton on the team to provide scoring off the bench. However, if Korkmaz, Thybulle, and Howard do not step up and produce more offense from here on out, the Philadelphia 76ers will surely struggle to hold leads or climb back into games. The time to start stepping up is now.