Korkmaz, Sengun Headline Turkey’s EuroBasket Final Roster
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Every summer, Philadelphia 76ers forward Furkan Korkmaz heads back to his homeland in Turkey to compete with the National team.
This offseason is no different. Over the weeks, Turkey has been competing in EuroBasket qualifier games ahead of the big tournament. Korkmaz has been heavily involved on Turkey’s squad as he’s competed in six matchups in Group D, along with Croatia, Netherlands, and Sweden.
After helping Turkey go 3-3, the National team qualified for the tournament along with Netherlands and Croatia.
On Monday, Turkey announced its final 12-man roster ahead of EuroBasket 2022. To no surprise, Korkmaz cracked the final roster and headlines it as one of three current NBA players involved.
Joining Korkmaz is Houston Rockets’ young standout, Alperen Sengun, and Cleveland Cavaliers veteran Cedi Osman. According to BasketNews, former NBA veteran Shane Larkin will also join the 12-man roster, as he qualifies as a Turkish citizen and plays for the Turkey-based franchise, Anadolu Efes.
Playing for Turkey’s National team has served as a solid opportunity to help Korkmaz stay consistent in the offseason. While most players relocate somewhere in the States and compete in popular Pro-AM runs, Korkmaz competes against International talent and sometimes faces current NBA players.
The upcoming NBA season could serve as a make-or-break year for Korkmaz. The 2022-2023 run will be Korkmaz’s sixth season in the NBA. While he has plenty of NBA experience at this point in his career, the Turkish sharpshooter has struggled to carve out a consistent role for himself on the Sixers.
Last year, Korkmaz appeared in 67 games for the Sixers. He averaged two fewer points than the previous two seasons and shot a career-low of 28 percent from three. The door is open for Korkmaz to earn minutes off the bench again, but his leash is definitely shorter these days.
The EuroBasket run should be a good opportunity for Korkmaz to regain his confidence, as he admitted that a mental block contributed to his struggles last season. The Sixers likely hope that a decent end to the summer on the court overseas should bring back a refreshed and confident Korkmaz when the Sixers meet in Charleston, South Carolina, for training camp in late September.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
