Sixers: Ranking every player on the roster after James Harden trade

Ranking every Sixers player — 7. Furkan Korkmaz

Furkan Korkmaz has had an up-and-down season for the Sixers so far, with a few more downs than ups. In the hole left by everyone’s least favorite 6-foot-10 Aussie, Furkan has performed admirably, gaining more and more of Doc’s trust. In his 51 games played so far this season, he’s started 18 times, already seven more than last season.

Strangely though, Furkan’s weak point this season has been shooting. If you ask anyone who watched the Sixers in the last three seasons to describe Furk they would use the same word: “shooter.” This season, he’s seriously regressed from 3, shooting under 30 percent, the lowest for him since his rookie season in 2017-18. His 2-point percentage is relatively identical to previous seasons, which makes this regression so strange. That lack of change to his 2-point percentage is the main reason he has stayed right under his usual nine points per game mark, even without his main weapon.

Doc and the coaching staff have been playing Furk more at point coming off the bench, which is the same spot he played in Turkey and in the Olympics. That change has been effective and good for the Sixers, especially when Furk is running the point with Embiid while Maxey sits. Due to that positional change, Furkan is averaging career highs in rebounds, assists, and free throw percentage, all while lowering his fouls and keeping his turnovers per game at the exact same spot from last year. That last stat is particularly impressive considering how much more time he has the ball in his hands.

— Aaron Palsgrove