Early in the week, the Philadelphia 76ers lost MVP candidate Joel Embiid to an injury that should keep him sidelined for a couple of weeks. Luckily for Philly, one unexpected player has picked up his play in an under-the-radar way and has led the bench unit in some good outings. This player is none other than Furkan Korkmaz.
Player of the Week: Furkan Korkmaz
In the victory over the Washington Wizards, Korkmaz had his highest scoring game of the week. He ended the game with 18 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals, one turnover and one fouls, while going 5-11 from the field, 4-5 on 3-pointers, and 100.0 percent on his four free-throw attempts. He was tied for the Sixers’ second leading scorer that game.
Korkmaz had his best shooting performance of the week in the win against the San Antonio Spurs. He had 16 points, one rebound, two assists, and two fouls, while converting 5-7 shots from the floor, all four of his shots from downtown, and both of his foul shots. He was tied for the 76ers’ third leading scorer in that outing.
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Sadly, Korkmaz had his worst shooting game in the comeback victory against the New York Knicks. He had 12 points, three rebounds, two steals, and one turnover, while shooting 4-12 on field goals, 1-6 from downtown, and 3-5 from the charity stripe.
Philly received a very clutch 3-point shot from Korkmaz to force overtime against the Milwaukee Bucks who eventually defeated the Sixers. Korkmaz finished with a modest 11 points, two rebounds, two assists, one block, and two turnovers, while making 50.0 percent of his six shots, 75.0 percent of his four 3-point attempts, and 66.7 percent of his three free throws.
Honorable mention
It was tempting to put Shake Milton in the spot, but ultimately it goes to Ben Simmons who had a double-double and a triple-doubles this past week. Despite his scoring not increasing in Embiid’s absence, he’s impacted the game in other areas. For the three games Simmons did play in, he’s averaging 14.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.7 blocks, 4.3 turnovers, and 2.7 fouls.
On the week, Korkmaz averaged 14.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, while shooting 63.2 percent on 3-pointers. His scoring and shooting are well above his season averages and this past week was just a continuation of his hot shooting as of late.