The Philadelphia 76ers have a perennial MVP candidate with a versatile offensive skill set, a veteran scorer who hovers around 20 PPG year in and year out and one of the most accurate sharpshooters that the league has to offer. So, naturally, their fourth-quarter offensive attack is led by... none of them?
That's right: step aside Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and Seth Curry. When we're in crunch time, it's Furkan Korkmaz's world.
Though DeMar DeRozan leads the pack in terms of NBA scorers in the fourth quarter — which shouldn't be all that surprising, seeing as he dropped 12 on the 76ers in the final quarter of Wednesday night's fun matchup — Korkmaz doesn't rank all that far behind. Kudos to Lauren Rosen for the find on this great stat:
Since Rosen's tweet, some other players have moved up the list, though Korkmaz is near the top and tied with some guy named Giannis Antetokounmpo (via Stathead):
| Rk | Player | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DeMar DeRozan | 8 | 65 | .590 | .667 | .933 | 62 |
| 2 | Fred VanVleet | 9 | 88 | .606 | .462 | .667 | 54 |
| 3 | Gordon Hayward | 9 | 64 | .633 | 1.000 | .800 | 53 |
| 4 | Miles Bridges | 9 | 89 | .444 | .263 | .778 | 52 |
| 5 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | 7 | 60 | .576 | .364 | .818 | 51 |
| 6 | Furkan Korkmaz | 8 | 54 | .484 | .455 | 1.000 | 51 |
| 7 | Carmelo Anthony | 8 | 72 | .567 | .647 | 1.000 | 49 |
| 8 | OG Anunoby | 9 | 74 | .444 | .458 | 1.000 | 49 |
| 9 | Cole Anthony | 9 | 76 | .455 | .409 | 1.000 | 48 |
| 10 | Cam Reddish | 8 | 62 | .552 | .538 | .800 | 47 |
In the season opener, Korkmaz almost single-handedly took down the New Orleans Pelicans at the end of the game, scoring 11 points in a two-minute span en route to an 18-point fourth quarter in which the bulk of the starters rested the whole time. In Game 2, a close loss to the Nets marked by a late-game collapse, Korkmaz led the team in scoring with six points despite playing the second-least minutes of the nine 76ers who took the court in the final period. In a hard-fought and surprising victory against the Blazers, a game that both Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris were absent for, Korkmaz tied for the team lead in fourth-quarter scoring with eight points.
Listen to Philadelphia sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest 76ers team gear
Sure, the stat is bolstered by that Game 1 eruption and the COVID-related absences of Tobias Harris in recent games. But is it not impressive? Looks like that epic preseason hype video did wonders for Korky, who has built upon a solid 2020-21 campaign to become a true fan favorite.
Most Improved Player season is loading for Furkan Korkmaz:
— Sergen Kumaş (@sergenkumas) September 23, 2021
pic.twitter.com/0FbdhRLc9k
If you really want to buy in now, Korkmaz's futures for the Most Improved Player award are at +24000 — seems like a steal to me (but actually, probably don't bet too much money on that). For Sixth Man of the Year, those odds are a little bit more likely, at +8000, better than teammates Matisse Thybulle (+8500), Andre Drummond (+10000) and Shake Milton (+12000). With 18.4 points per 36 minutes, Korkmaz has been one of the better bench scorers in the league (via Stathead):
| Crit | Crit | Crit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | Tm | Lg | MP | GS | PTS |
| 1 | Tyler Herro | MIA | NBA | 221 | 0 | 25.6 |
| 2 | LaMarcus Aldridge | BRK | NBA | 138 | 0 | 22.4 |
| 3 | Anfernee Simons | POR | NBA | 186 | 0 | 22.1 |
| 4 | Carmelo Anthony | LAL | NBA | 218 | 0 | 21.8 |
| 5 | Buddy Hield | SAC | NBA | 223 | 0 | 21.6 |
| 6 | Cam Reddish | ATL | NBA | 193 | 0 | 21.3 |
| 7 | Naz Reid | MIN | NBA | 100 | 0 | 21.2 |
| 8 | Jordan Clarkson | UTA | NBA | 175 | 0 | 20.8 |
| 9 | Montrezl Harrell | WAS | NBA | 250 | 2 | 20.7 |
| 10 | Damion Lee | GSW | NBA | 155 | 0 | 20.0 |
| 11 | Trey Lyles | DET | NBA | 120 | 0 | 19.8 |
| 12 | Eric Gordon | HOU | NBA | 157 | 0 | 19.7 |
| 13 | Jalen Brunson | DAL | NBA | 220 | 2 | 19.6 |
| 14 | Georges Niang | PHI | NBA | 171 | 0 | 19.6 |
| 15 | Derrick Rose | NYK | NBA | 168 | 0 | 19.5 |
| 16 | Kelly Olynyk | DET | NBA | 162 | 1 | 19.3 |
| 17 | Cedi Osman | CLE | NBA | 138 | 0 | 19.3 |
| 18 | Jeremy Lamb | IND | NBA | 131 | 0 | 19.2 |
| 19 | Furkan Korkmaz | PHI | NBA | 170 | 2 | 18.4 |
| 20 | Kevin Love | CLE | NBA | 145 | 0 | 17.1 |
He hasn't only been impressive on the offensive end, though, as his defense seems to have taken a big step up as well.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
