The goal of each basketball competition is for one of the two teams to score as many points as possible in different ways and from all possible angles and positions. In order to achieve this, basketball teams often seek and recruit players with versatile goal-scoring skills, and in this endeavor, Furkan Korkmaz is honorably mentioned.
Furkan is a professional basketball player with the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from Turkey. He is a natural shooting guard with the special ability to create shots for himself or his teammates. Similarly, the Turkish baller is also known for his ability to score goals in a variety of ways.
Furkan Korkmaz Biography
Furkan Korkmaz celebrates his birthday every June 24th, as he was born on this day in 1997 under the zodiac sign of cancer in the year 1997 in Bakirköy, Istanbul, Turkey. Not much information about his childhood is documented, but we know for sure that he started playing B-ball with the school team at the age of 9.
The boy had his first big basketball move in 2012 when he changed from the junior team of Efes at the age of 15, Yesilyurt Spor Kulübü to Anadolu Efes for 250’000 dollars. Anadolu is the most successful basketball club in Turkey and has very often won the trophy of the highest league.
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In his new team, Furkan Korkmaz first played for the club’s junior and youth team before being loaned to Pertevniyal to play in the Turkish Basketball Second League in the 2013-2014 season. He proved himself in the 2nd division, and soon, in the summer of the 2014 season, he was back with Anadolu Efes, but no longer in the youth team; he was promoted to the senior national team. Word had already got around among the NBA teams, hoping to get the boy on their side.
The Philadelphia 76ers would then select Furkan in the 2016 NBA Draft as 26th in the first round of the draft. After being called up by the American team, Korkmaz requested another season with his Turkish team Anadolu Efes to develop his game, and his request was granted. Upon his arrival, the Istanbul-based team loaned him to Banvit in December 2016, and as expected, he changed the team’s fortunes faster than they could have imagined, contributing to Turkey’s first cup win.
After spending a year in his native country, Furkan Korkmaz returned to the Philadelphia 76ers, who sent him to the Delaware 87ers, NBA G League players, to get a taste of American basketball in his rookie season. With his return from the G-League, Furkan Korkmaz was undoubtedly ready to make his mark in the top basketball league.
Highlights of Furkan Korkmaz and NBA Draft Scouting Report
Furkan Korkmaz, the shooting guard / The little striker made a wise decision when he decided to return to Turkey to develop his game after being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. In Turkey, he improved to 24 minutes per game in 29 appearances, bringing his career to a high level of 828 minutes.
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Offense
The 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) tall basketball player is famous for his unique ability to fire his shots without delay when a pass is not perfectly thrown at him. This is how he was able to score 43.7% of his 142 three-point shots in Turkey.
Furkan’s lanky look is actually more of an asset to him, he has consistently demonstrated his ability to shoot over larger defenders, as he can use his elbows to extend far in a free throw. He is very fast on the court and handles the ball creatively as he plays with both hands and keeps his head up in the game.
Defense
Despite the good reports mentioned above, Furkan Korkmaz still has a lot of work to do in the defense sector. He is worn down by larger wings, and this has made it difficult for him to break balls from his opponents, force thefts, and perform high rotations. But if he builds up his physical strength, he can improve a lot in this respect and maybe even improve his defensive skills.
