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Furkan Korkmaz – 6’7” Shooting Guard, Turkey, 18 Years old
Furkan Korkmaz has been playing professional basketball since the age of 15. Korkmaz started his career with Anadolu Efes in 2012, where he played for the Junior team for one season. But before the 2013-14 season, Korkmaz was loaned to Turkish Basketball Second League team Pertevniyal. In those first two years, Korkmaz saw very little playing time, but that is to be expected, seeing as Korkmaz wasn’t even 17 years old at the time. In the summer of 2014, Korkmaz returned to Anadolu Efes and was promoted to the first team. Korkmaz played 19 games but started only one. Korkmaz averaged 3.5 points, 0.8 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 0.6 steals per game whilst averaging 10.4 minutes. Korkmaz is a two-time Turkish Basketball League All-Star (2015, 2016) and is a Turkish Basketball League Slam Dunk Champion.
Strengths
Korkmaz is a natural scorer; his numbers with Anadolu Efes don’t do his natural ability justice. His ability to put the ball in the basket will make teams and scouts look twice, and will surely lead to Korkmaz’s stock rising as the draft draws ever closer. Korkmaz doesn’t shy away from taking shots, heavily guarded or not Korkmaz plays with a level of confidence many NBA players would kill for. Korkmaz showed off his elite ability to shoot the ball in the latest U19 Championships where he shot almost 50% from the field. Korkmaz is a very smart player, taking advantage of mismatches in games to find easy scoring opportunities. He has a unique size that works for him and against him, we will get to the against later, but for now we’ll stick to the positives. Korkmaz has the speed to go past points guards, the work rate to beat his fellow shooting guards and enough height and length to beat small forwards. It’s very rare that you find an 18 year old kid with almost four years of experience heading into the biggest league in the world but that’s what they will get in Korkmaz. Korkmaz will be valuable to any team in the NBA.
Weaknesses
One word comes to mind when you ask about Furkan Korkmaz’s weaknesses, and that’s defense. Korkmaz has a lot of developing to do on the defensive side of the ball. Now to say that Korkmaz is a bad defensive player is unfair and just not true. He has the ability to get steals and make things difficult for the player he’s defending, but Korkmaz is very slight and under weight and will certainly need to add weight before he can make a difference defensively at the NBA level. Korkmaz resembles Mario Hezonja when he was preparing for last year’s draft. Hezonja was drafted by the Orlando Magic 5th overall and entered full of confidence and a great ability to score at the European level, but definitely struggled on the defensive end. Now Korkmaz won’t go as high as Hezonja, but he certainly resembles his situation. Korkmaz needs to concentrate more and focus on building up his body of work to truly be successful in the NBA.
NBA Potential
Korkmaz has everything a young player would want: size, an ability to score, and the potential to be a great NBA player. Korkmaz strikes me as the sort of player who could win a dunk contest down the line or even a three point contest. But as for being a part of a team, Korkmaz looks like he could end up being a quality sixth man in the NBA. He will strike many as a question mark heading into the NBA Draft, just like many European talents. Korkmaz will soon show the world what and who he is.
NBA Player Comparison
If Korkmaz overachieves he can be Klay Thompson: a great shooter who can play shooting guard or small forward, and will gradually become a solid defensive player capable of limiting the player they guard. But if Korkmaz becomes a competent NBA player, then Gordon Hayward is the player he most likely will end up like. Slightly undersized and grows over a prolonged period. But to be honest if you don’t develop into Klay Thompson, you could do a lot worse than ending up like Hayward.
Watch to see where Furkan Korkmaz ends up on draft day, and be sure to keep yourself updated with our complete coverage of the 2016 NBA Draft.
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