The stat lines haven’t changed too much for power forward Furkan Aldemir. In a handful of minutes, the second-year player from Turkey will grab some rebounds and maybe take a shot or two.
Sometimes he’ll even make one.
In that regard, Aldemir’s preseason has mirrored the way he played during his rookie season for the Sixers. In Thursday night’s last-second 115-114 victory over the Cavaliers (see game story), Aldemir grabbed four rebounds and made two shots in 13 minutes.
He also picked up five fouls.
“He’s reliable in that you need someone like that on the bench who can come in and give you something from time to time,” coach Brett Brown said about Aldemir. “I still think that’s in him.”
But the coach hasn’t seen much from Aldemir so far during the preseason and he isn’t sure what the issue is. Much more fit than he was when he joined the Sixers midway through last season, Aldemir spent the summer playing internationally.
"That could be part of it," Brown said.
NBA
“He hasn’t played well yet. He had a long summer and his body changed — he’s down to eight percent [body fat]. It’s as low as it has ever been. Maybe that has something to do with it, but the end result is he hasn’t played great basketball yet and that’s always a concern.”
Aldemir played well in the Utah Jazz Summer League for the Sixers, but that was against young players and some who won’t even be on NBA rosters. Against bona fide NBA players, though, Aldemir still hasn’t produced.
Point guard battle
Three point guards played for the Sixers on Thursday night in the ongoing fight for a roster spot. However, after a rough showing in Tuesday’s opener against the Wizards, Scottie Wilbekin hit the game-winning three-pointer and helped spark a surge in which the Sixers outscored Cleveland, 12-2, in the final 2:33 of the game.
T.J. McConnell saw his first action of the preseason after sitting out of Tuesday’s game with a sprained foot. In a limited 21 minutes, McConnell shot 2 for 5 with a three-pointer, four assists and zero turnovers.
“It's as good as it’s going to get,” McConnell said of his foot. “I have to get out there and show myself. I’m not going to impress anyone by sitting on the bench.”
Isaiah Canaan, in his second straight start, scored 10 points in the second quarter on his way to 16. However, those points came during a stretch in which the Cavaliers pushed an eight-point lead to 19 points.
Meanwhile, Brown said veterans Tony Wroten and Kendall Marshall are, “every bit of a month away, minimum,” from a return to action.
Pierre Jackson, the other point guard fighting for a job, will likely be out for the next week to two weeks with a groin injury.