Doc Rivers Remains Committed to Furkan Korkmaz in Sixers’ Starting Lineup

The Philadelphia 76ers lost a key member of the team during their Game 3 matchup on the road against the Atlanta Hawks. As Sixers shooting guard Danny Green suffered a calf injury, the team would soon find out that Green’s playoff run was in jeopardy.

While Green made it clear he plans to return to the floor as long as the Sixers stay alive in the postseason, there was zero-shot he would return to the court before the second-round series against the Hawks concludes.

Therefore, Doc Rivers had to find a temporary replacement. While searching for a player that resembles Green the most, Rivers decided to start the young veteran Furkan Korkmaz in his place for Game 4. 

While Korkmaz doesn’t necessarily bring the same defensive value as Green to the starting lineup, Korkmaz’s offensive game resembles Green’s as he can be a reliable three-point shooter. 

Since replacing Green, Korkmaz has started in the last three games. Averaging 25 minutes on the floor, the young forward has averaged eight points per game. As his numbers from beyond the arc aren’t exactly ideal as he’s drained 26-percent of his threes, Rivers likes what he’s seen from Korkmaz in Green’s absence.

And although some other potential starting candidates have emerged after Game 6, Rivers made it clear that he doesn’t intend to change the starting lineup heading into a critical Game 7 matchup against the Hawks on Sunday. 

“I like exactly [what we have],” Rivers said following a film session on Saturday afternoon. “We started Korkmaz, by the way, last night and won. So, his numbers have been pretty good overall. I don’t overreact to every single game. If I did, I would have started Shake (Milton) after Game 3 because he had a great game. So, that’s not what we do. We stay solid. We stay disciplined, and we run our stuff.”

Rivers can surely change his mind when Sunday’s big game rolls around, but it seems he’s committed to the idea of keeping Korkmaz in the starting lineup and having other standouts such as Tyrese Maxey bring a spark to the team off the bench.

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