Furkan Korkmaz Shines vs. Greece in Eurobasket

The basketball world has seen different versions of Furkan Korkmaz over the years. When Korkmaz is donning a Philadelphia 76ers uniform, you never really know

The basketball world has seen different versions of Furkan Korkmaz over the years. When Korkmaz is donning a Philadelphia 76ers uniform, you never really know which version the team is going to get.

There are rare occasions when Korkmaz dazzles off the bench for the Sixers, and you can find him heating up from beyond the arc and looking like somebody who could compete for the Sixth-Man of the Year award if he were to sustain that level of play throughout the season.

Other times, Korkmaz has been underwhelming at best and even became unplayable during the 2021-2022 NBA season. 

But when it comes to playing for his native country overseas, Korkmaz is a different breed. Every summer, the Turkish sharpshooter makes Sixers fans wonder what Korkmaz could become if he played as aggressively and successfully in the NBA as he does while playing for Turkey.

This summer is no different. Lately, Korkmaz has been playing for Turkey in Eurobasket 2022. And on Friday, he put on another stellar performance against Greece.

According to Sergen Kumas of Her Şey NBA, Korkmaz logged a double-double against Greece by putting up 22 points and coming down with ten rebounds.

As expected, a portion of Korkmaz’s 20-plus points came from beyond the arc as he hit 66 percent of his threes off six attempts. 

Obviously, Korkmaz’s summer performances overseas aren’t a direct teaser of what’s to come for the upcoming NBA season. Considering Korkmaz is unlikely to log 30 minutes in Philly’s rotation, he’ll have fewer minutes to work with. 

Based on Korkmaz’s progress last year, the Turkish sharpshooter will likely have to battle for a spot in the rotation this season as Philly bolstered its bench in the offseason. 

In 67 games last year, Korkmaz averaged seven points while shooting a career-low of 28 percent from deep. Throughout the season, it was clear Korkmaz lacked confidence. 

The hope is that Korkmaz’s offseason overseas can help him gain his confidence back, so when he does return to the 76ers, he’s primed for a bounce-back effort. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.