Miami Heat's Omer Yurtseven Proving He Belongs in the NBA

Omer Yurtseven continues to impress in his rookie season

On Saturday, Miami Heat center Omer Yurtseven had 22 points and 11 rebounds. 

It was his 14th straight double-double. Not bad for an undrafted player out of Georgetown. 

“Oh, I loved his minutes," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Omer was very good throughout the course of the game. He was big in the paint, he rebounded well, he was pretty good on his pick-and-roll coverages. And then on the other end, he just continues to gain confidence in those relief baskets, opportunities at the rim and his touch in the paint is getting better. We really needed those baskets that he was giving us.” 

Teammates Jimmy Butler has been among those who have been impressed with Yurtseven. 

“[He’s proved] that he belongs in this league. I think he has put the league on notice about how he rebounds the basketball, how he guards, obviously how he scores. I just want him to keep that mentality and understand that just because Bam is back, it doesn’t meant that you don’t go about everything the exact same way and know that your time is going to come again.”

Sixers coach Doc Rivers has already noticed Yurtseven's play. 

“He’s been great," Rivers said. "I don’t know where they keep getting these guys from. They all can shoot, they know how to play. You look at some of the guys that they’ve picked up over the last three years, they are doing a heck of a job. You have to give them credit. It’s another great example. I use it all the time and I think it comes off like, ‘never fire coaches’, but when you have a great coach, and Erik [Spoelstra] is a great coach, and you know that, why would you ever change that? And I say that because now you can build your program. Every person they draft or pick in free agency, they know exactly the type of guy that fits Erik and their system.”