Daniel Olinger is a writer for the Rights To Ricky Sanchez, and author of “The Danny” column, even though he refuses to be called that in person. He can be followed on X @dan_olinger.
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Furkan Korkmaz played more career minutes for the Philadelphia 76ers than each of the following players:
Dario Šarić
J.J. Redick
Jodie Meeks
Dikembe Mutombo
James Harden
Shawn Bradley
Danny Green
It’s old news to every Sixers fan, but Korkmaz stayed with the franchise far longer than anyone ever expected, including the man himself. He tried to escape three times via trade request, and was denied at every turn. He mutually agreed to part ways with the Sixers, only to re-sign with the team that same off-season. He rode the bench constantly, but also started in four games during the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
There’s never been anyone like Furkan Korkmaz.
Seeing that Korkmaz was selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, only shot 35% from three despite being pegged as a great shooting prospect out of Turkey, and only held a consistent spot in the Sixers rotation for three seasons, the average NBA fan would see his tenure in Philadelphia as a failure
But failed first round draft picks aren’t supposed to stay with the same team for seven years and survive multiple roster overhauls. They aren’t supposed to be No. 10 all-time in franchise history for made threes. They aren’t supposed to have one of the most beloved game winning shots the fanbase has ever experienced.
But Korkmaz has all of those things. He is somehow both a “failed” first-round pick who struggled to consistently contribute to winning basketball, but also a cherished role player who Sixers fans will be fond of long after he’s gone.
The defining trait for Korkmaz is just how memorable all the little aspects of his game are. For a guy who has rarely seen the court the past two seasons, you still watch him and think, “Ah, that’s classic Furkan right there.”
Sixers fans know the latent ball handling within Korkmaz, how he ever so slightly teased the idea of evolving into the team’s full-time backup point guard. That never came to pass, but he still had enough in his bag to be the greatest garbage time passer in NBA history.
No one loves throwing a fancier pass in a game that’s already decided more than Furkan.
Or how about the fact that Korkmaz — a guy whose main selling point was his three-point shot — was actually one of the best dunkers on the team?
Fans and broadcasts of opposing teams who didn’t know the lore behind Furkan often assumed he was nothing more than a spot-up shooter. Little did they know they were defending a man who won the 2016 Turkish Dunk Contest while dressed as Darth Vader.
From his love for turning every fast break into a 2-hand reverse, to his goofy celebrations, Korkmaz dunks were always a delight.
I could go on and on about the minute quirks of Korkmaz’s game for hours.
As MOC said last week, he’s the best shot faker in Sixers’ history, always fooling defenders with that slow pump held awkwardly above his head. He had a stretch in his career where fans were concerned that his feet were too big, as he accidentally stepped out of bounds with such frequency that it became a legit problem. Even during the seasons when Korkmaz had it going from three, his free throws became subpar in comparison, posting 75 and 73 percent marks from the charity stripe despite being one of the most accurate shooters on the team.
Seen glass half empty, Korkmaz refused to be a normal basketball player. The Sixers just needed a guy who consistently hit 38-40% of his threes each and every season, and Korkmaz wasn’t that.
Seen glass half full, Korkmaz refused to be forgettable. His game was too bizarre, his ability to stick at the end of the roster too unique.
Of the 60 players taken in the 2016 NBA Draft, Korkmaz remained with the team who drafted him longer than 57 of this peers. Longer than Pascal Siakam, longer than Brandon Ingram, longer than (of course) Ben Simmons — only Jaylen Brown and Jamal Murray outlasted his tenure with the Sixers.
Korkmaz ties together so much of recent Sixers’ history. He shared the court with Nico Batum and Kelly Oubre, but also with Jerryd Bayless and Trevor Booker. Tobias Harris now holds the title of second-longest tenured Sixers player, and fans aren’t as fond of him playing out all five years of his $180 million contract. Should Harris’s time in Philadelphia end this offseason, suddenly only Tyrese Maxey and Paul Reed would have played with Joel Embiid back to the 2020-21 season. Between the Harden and Simmons trades, the entire roster has been flipped on its head twice since then.
The only constants though it all were Embiid playing at an MVP level, Harris playing well but not as well as most people wanted, and Korkmaz there at the end of the bench, always ready to check in and bring his oddball game to the court when called upon.
There have been so many random Sixers with great moments that stick in people’s heads from this past decade of basketball. Corey Brewer face guarded Harden for 94 feet. Isaiah Canaan’s 4-point play nearly toppled the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. Dakota Mathias hit a game-winner against the Miami Heat. All of those sentences mean something to a Sixers fan, but each of those players were just a flash in the pan, characters in the experience of following this team that were gone as soon as they arrived.
Not Furkan. He was always there. Rather than a standout moment, Korkmaz was a standout character, and everyone will remember at least one thing about his seven seasons in Philadelphia. For some, it’ll be the shot. For others, it’ll be his penchant for flashy handles and showtime passes. For the most online of us, it’ll always be the three trade requests. He was here long enough that everyone will have their own take on him.
I don’t know if you can call the Korkmaz pick and overall era in Philadelphia a success. He was never as accurate a shooter as he needed to be. He only played in more than 50 regular season games three times. When it was finally time for him to be moved, he was just salary filler in a deal to the other team, as they released him almost immediately after. Three seasons as a rotation player for a good NBA team are more than most can say, but you usually hope for more out of a first round draft pick.
But I do know this — I’m always going to remember Furkan Korkmaz, because there’s never been anyone quite like him. I hope you remember him too.
I’ll always remember his postgame interview after his buzzer beater at PDX. He paid a nice compliment about Horford being a great teammate while Al stood by smiling proudly about Furk’s great moment.
Great article. His inconsistency was due to his inconsistent use. Other, "better" players were allowed free reign to be "bad". Kelly "I will always shoot" Oubre. Melton, etc. Can go weeks stinking up the joint and their playing time never changes. Was Furkan Korkmaz EVER given the luxury to have "ups and downs"?! I have watched him come into a game, help the team to a lead, get taken out, never to be seen again as that same lead goes away and a loss goes on the books. I appreciate the analysis but the context of his career needs to balanced. His "failure" as a Sixer has more to do with coaches who didn't know how to use him than any short comings of Furkan's. Just look at the Golden State and Denver games over the past few weeks. He was taken out AFTER he played the Sixers into positions to win the game. He's taken out and losses followed. His entire career has been just that. Thanks again but context is important.