Furkan Korkmaz Draws JJ Redick Comparisons After Having Career Night vs. Bulls

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- As of late, the Philadelphia 76ers have been on the hunt for perimeter shooting in the trade market. As the team struggles to consistently produce from beyond the arc, Philly's front office has been doing their due diligence by working the phones and seeing if there's a deal that can be made before the deadline.

The Sixers need some reliable three-point shooters off the bench. That has been obvious since the season has started. At some point, they are expected to make a deal to patch that issue up. But in the meantime, one of their currently rostered players is making a case to remain in the rotation even if a big trade gets made.

Third-year guard, Furkan Korkmaz, has morphed into an entirely different player this season. After struggling to fight for minutes over the last two seasons, Furkan has earned the right not only to pick up more minutes this season -- but he has also received the right to get plays drawn up specifically for him.

Lately, Sixers' head coach Brett Brown has been experimenting with Korkmaz's skillset. As he is shooting a career-high of 39-percent from beyond the arc this season, Brown has been mixing in some plays for the offense to run, which are made for Korkmaz to start chucking up some more threes on offense.

Now, these aren't new plays that Brown is mixing in. The Sixers actually know this portion of the playbook very well, because they have been running these specific plays over the last two seasons with their former veteran shooter, JJ Redick.

This season, the Sixers haven't utilized that portion of the playbook, though, because they didn't feel as if they had somebody to execute it. But as Korkmaz begins to catch fire with his long-range shot, Brown has been giving it a try. And fortunately, his gamble with the third-year guard is starting to pay off.

On Friday night when the Sixers faced the Bulls at home, Brown dialed up a heavy dose of Furkan. In 27 minutes out on the court, Korkmaz managed to get up nine three-pointers. He wasn't only getting up shots though -- a majority of them were falling as well.

66-percent from three-point range is quite the ideal number for Korkmaz and the Sixers. After the game, Brett Brown couldn't help but compare his reserve guard to his former sharpshooting veteran, JJ Redick. "It's a heck of a story, isn't it?" Brown said in regards to Furkan Korkmaz's career-night in Philly.

"For us to see him come in and do JJ [Redick]-like stuff, and to have that type of bomber -- that was different! That was different from what we have as it relates to a different type of skillset. We ran probably like five plays in a row going to him. I had flashbacks of JJ. He changed the game. He gave us a spark. I don't remember JJ dunking like that [laughs]. But the long shot, the quick buckets, it fueled our defense."

What a Furkan moment.#PhilaUnite | @budweiserusa pic.twitter.com/tcqvXBw5sA
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 18, 2020

While Korkmaz hasn't earned the right to be the Sixers' new JJ Redick quite yet, the young guard is working on getting as much practice as possible so he can begin to contribute at a similar rate. "I think it's all about reps," Korkmaz said in terms of running plays that Redick ran while in Philly.

"In practice, I've been working on those shots because JJ was making those shots look easy. Right now, we are running those plays for me -- especially when I play with Ben [Simmons]. I feel more confident because I know I'll be open at the end of the set. So all of my focus is on setting a good screen, and just making the shot."

Over the last two games, Korkmaz has scored 39 points, draining 58-percent of his shots from three. During the entire month of January, he has averaged 42-percent from three, while putting up just under ten points-per-game.

He won't be expected to exceed a new career-high on a nightly basis, but if Korkmaz can remain in the ballpark of what he has been averaging, the Sixers may confidently feel like they have truly grown 'a bomber,' as Brett Brown said before.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_