76ers Sharpshooter Remains in Tough Spot Ahead of Nets Matchup

76ers veteran Furkan Korkmaz is progressing, but he remains unlikely to make his preseason debut against the Nets on Monday.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ Turkish sharpshooter Furkan Korkmaz remains in a tough spot.

Since the start of the Sixers’ 2023 preseason run, Korkmaz has been battling a leg strain. When the team entered its first matchup of the preseason against the Boston Celtics two Sundays ago, Korkmaz was one of four prospects who missed the game.

A few nights later, the Sixers returned to the court to take on the Celtics for another battle at home. Once again, Korkmaz couldn’t get cleared to make it out on the court.

While Sixers head coach Nick Nurse noted that Korkmaz’s injury isn’t anything too serious, it puts the veteran in an unfortunate circumstance as he looks to climb back into Philly’s rotation.

After averaging at least 19 minutes per game across two seasons from 2020 to 2022, Korkmaz struggled under head coach Doc Rivers in 2022-2023. He appeared in just 37 games last season, averaging nine minutes on the floor when he played. While Korkmaz was open to a change of scenery last season, the Sixers couldn’t find a trade that suited all parties. Therefore, Korkmaz stuck around.

The arrival of Nurse offers Korkmaz a great opportunity to state a case for himself to earn playing time this year, but the injury hasn’t offered the new head coach a legitimate look at Korkmaz in his system so far. And the Sixers are running out of time.

“Furk, we haven’t seen him for a while. He’s progressing well. I think he’s going to be able to go and practice [on Saturday] but should be ready to play some minutes on Monday,” Nurse told reporters following a Friday morning practice.

Nick Nurse Assesses Current State of Sixers' Rotation

Korkmaz, like many of his veteran peers, did not participate in the Sixers’ Saturday afternoon scrimmage this past weekend despite practicing beforehand. And while Korkmaz was a full participant in a practice that lacked live action on Sunday, Nick Nurse changed his prediction for the Turkish sharpshooter’s status on Monday, noting that Korkmaz is “unlikely” to play against the Brooklyn Nets.

Korkmaz is understandably disappointed that he hasn’t been able to play in a single game under Nurse just yet. However, he’s embracing the new opportunity, even if there are still a ton of obstacles in his way currently.

“Anytime there’s going to be competition, I’m down for the competition,” Korkmaz told reporters. “I think when I get back, I will take those playing minutes, and I will show everybody again what I’m capable of.”

After the Sixers pay a visit to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, they’ll get three days' worth of practice before hosting the Atlanta Hawks for their fourth and final outing of the preseason. Perhaps that’s when Korkmaz will get his opportunity to show Nurse and the rest of the coaching staff what he could bring to the table.