Sixers draft pick Furkan Korkmaz named Basketball Champions League's best young player
The Sixers chose him in 2016 with the 26th pick in the first round.
Sixers draft pick Furkan Korkmaz was named the Best Young Player of the Basketball Champions League, which has mostly European teams.
Korkmaz is a 6-foot-8 reserve shooting guard for Banvit, which plays in the BCL and the Turkish Basketball Super League. The 19-year-old is on loan from another Turkish Basketball Super League team, Anadolu Efes.
The Sixers picked the Turkish player 26th overall in 2016. The plan was for him to come to the NBA. However, Korkmaz could not afford the $2 million buyout from his contract with Anadolu Efes. NBA teams are allowed to pay up to $650,000 toward a buyout. A buyout could be more doable this summer.
Sixers president Bryan Colangelo watched him play in a BCL semifinal and final on Friday and Sunday in Tenerife, Spain. Korkmaz finished with just four points on 2-for-7 shooting in a 63-59 finals loss to Iberostar Tenerife. The three-point specialist missed all three of his long-range attempts.
He averaged 10.4 points and shot 48.8 percent on three-pointers in eight BCL games with Banvit. Korkmaz averaged 8.4 points and shot 34.4 percent from three-point land in 16 Turkish games with the club.
Korkmaz did play in 12 games total for Anadolu Efes before being loaned to Banvit in December. He averaged just 4.4 points and 12.1 minutes despite shooting 50 percent in 10 Turkish games with Anadolu Efes. He averaged 1.5 points and 6.5 minutes and missed his lone three-pointer in two EuroLeague games with the club.
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