Has the Miami Heat found another undrafted hidden gem?
Over the last decade, there might not be a team in the NBA that has found more hidden gems – drafted or undrafted – than the Miami Heat. Of course, that’s a subjective statement but Miami has done a great job utilizing its developmental program.
Heading into the 2021-22 NBA season, Omer Yurtseven could be the next great find for the Heat. Yurtseven is probably a name you haven’t heard of – and, quite frankly, why would you have heard of him – but is probably someone you should, at the very least, keep an eye on as training camps begin in a few months.
Yurtseven is a Turkish-born 23-year-old 7-footed that went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft. He played his college ball at NC State before transferring to Georgetown.
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During his junior year of college (with Georgetown), Yurtseven averaged 15.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game on 53 percent shooting from the field. After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, Yurtseven played for the Oklahoma City Blue in the NBA’s G League and was poached by the Heat just before the end of the 2020-21 NBA season.
After impressing in Summer League with Miami, the Heat signed Yurtseven to a two-year deal. He will now head into the 2021-22 season with a legit shot at winning a spot in the Heat’s rotation and will have the opportunity to continue to grow as a player and will give this team something that they have lacked since the departure of Hassan Whiteside – true size at the center position.
A Yurtseven-Bam frontcourt could be an interesting project for the Miami Heat
Even though Miami likes to play small-ball, with Bam Adebayo manning the 5, it doesn’t hurt that the Heat finally has a true 7-footer that they could develop to play alongside Bam. Having a 7-footer that they can place next to Bam could open up the game for him as he prepares to take the next step in his development.
A big part of that idealistic plan revolves around Yurtseven and whether he could actually earn a spot in the rotation. Not to say that he isn’t good enough to do so, but he has so little playing experience that it would be quite unfair to simply expect him to do so.
From what he’s shown in the Summer League, though, the Heat have to be encouraged about his potential. Through three games, Yurtseven has averaged 25 points and 23 rebounds on 53 percent shooting from the field.
Yurtseven has also shown the ability to stretch the defense with his 3-point shooting – he’s shooting 35 percent from deep in Summer League – and the ability to defend the rim as well. That’s something that has plagued the Heat’s defense over the last few years.
It’s not a foregone conclusion that Yurtseven will be looked at as the next great find for the Heat, but there’s clearly potential in the Turkish big and you have to love the possibilities that he could help give the Heat alongside Bam in the future.