The Philadelphia 76ers are exploring options to get better, and a potential casualty is Al Horford. The 33-year-old veteran has not been a reliable performer in the 2019-20 NBA season, and it appears he will be coming off the bench from here on.
According to Yahoo Sports, the five-time NBA All-Star will be benched in favor of Turkish player Furkan Korkmaz. The 22-year-old started for the 76ers against the Los Angeles Clippers. The move comes with a bit of intrigue, although head coach Brett Brown may be trying to find answers. As most know, outside shooting has been a problem for the team. Perhaps giving other players in the mix a chance to show their firepower could help their campaign.
For Horford, this would be the first time that he will be coming off the bench. The last time he did was way back in 2007 when he was still with the Atlanta Hawks. The 13-year veteran is coming off a woeful performance against the Chicago Bulls. Horford did not score a single point, missing all his shots in 30 minutes of action.
“We all get he’s Al Horford,” Brown said, per the Courier Times. “None of us should not understand what he’s capable of doing. And I’ve got to help him achieve it.”
There is no telling if this ploy is temporary, with Brown wanting to give Horford a rest. The third overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft is just in the first year of his $109 million deal with the Sixers. The benching may do the NBA vet some good although it does send off mixed signals.
In a report from NESN, Horford mentioned that there is discord in the Sixers locker room. He finds himself playing off his natural position, although he is a capable shooter. But from the looks of it, Korkmaz is not only younger but someone who can light it up.
https://nesn.com/2020/02/al-horford-admits-theres-stuff-going-on-in-76ers-locker-room-this-season/
The Turkish swingman has played in 53 games for the Sixers averaging 9.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and an assist. He owns a decent 51.6% shooting clip from the field and 39.8% from the three-point region per Basketball-Reference.com. He does have slightly better shooting percentages compared to Horford, but extended minutes could help raise the numbers of the 26th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/korkmfu01.html
The Sixers need to experiment and find some players who can hit it from outside. They failed to address that at the NBA trade deadline, unable to land a wing player. Brown is now limited to players in the roster, hoping someone steps up from the outside.
