Daily News | Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz support each other during trying seasons
Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz began sitting next to each other on the 76ers’ charter plane about 15 games into this season. Their conversation topics can toggle from music, to real estate, to taking playful jabs at teammates, such as Matisse Thybulle.
Milton or Korkmaz establishing a rhythm down the stretch would be a boon for a Sixers bench unit that, before Saturday’s 49-point outburst in a blowout 144-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets, ranked last in the NBA in scoring since the All-Star break. Not coincidentally, Milton and Korkmaz are having their worst shooting seasons since they were rookies.
Recently, Milton has been a catch-all guard whose role depends on with whom he is sharing the court, including totaling 10 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds during Saturday’s win. Korkmaz, meanwhile, has played meaningful minutes in only five of the Sixers’ past 14 games, contributing 4 points on 1-of-5 shooting Saturday when the result was already in hand.
Rivers recently reflected on Milton’s training camp, when he “had an unbelievable four or five days” while challenging for the starting point guard job before stepping on Andre Drummond’s foot and spraining his ankle. Later, just after a stint in COVID-19 health and safety protocols during the omicron surge, Milton missed more than a month with a back injury. He spent weeks trying to prevent stiffness by moving around in a hot tub and through treatment from team physical therapist Kim Casapare.
Korkmaz also excelled in that game against Heat, with 18 points on 4-of-7 from three-point range and adding 6 rebounds. While sitting side-by-side at a table at their postgame news conference, Korkmaz revealed that he and Milton have leaned on each other throughout the season’s challenges. How Milton felt when he slipped out of the rotation during last season’s playoffs has remained a driving force of motivation. Entering the Sixers’ final five regular-season games, Korkmaz appears to have more work to do to contend for minutes when the playoffs arrive.
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