Alex Poythress bringing energy in summer-league play
The power forward is hoping to stay with the Sixers, although he could wind up going back and forth to the Delaware 87ers.
LAS VEGAS – Alex Poythress' approach in the summer leagues has been simple.
"I'm just trying to bring energy, play with confidence out there and compete," the 76ers power forward said.
He hopes doing that will lead him to a second stint on the Sixers roster. Poythress signed a 10-day contract on April 2. Once that concluded, the team signed him on April 11 for the remainder of the year.
Now he's a restricted free agent. The Sixers can match any offer the 6-foot-7 player receives in free agency.
The former Kentucky standout has been working out for the team at their practice facility for the majority of the offseason. However, there are no guarantees that he's in their short-term future plans. His best option may be getting signed to one of their two-way deals. That would enable him to go back and forth from the NBA to the G-League, formerly the NBA Development League.
He said he hasn't spoken to the Sixers about future opportunities.
"They said, 'We will see after summer league,'" said Poythress, 23. "All that stuff, my agent will talk with them. So I'm just controlling what I can control. Just going out there, giving my all while I'm out there."
He averaged 12.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in three Utah Jazz Summer League games. Poythress is averaging 10.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in three NBA Summer League games.
Korkmaz’s development
As a projected backup perimeter player, Furkan Korkmaz probably won't get a lot of touches in games. However, he'll need to take advantage of his opportunities to become successful.
"He does have to figure out how he can get in and make an immediate impact without the shot, sometimes with the shot," said Sixers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce, who's coaching the team here. "But this is what it's going to be like."