Omer Yurtseven: The Chess Player Panathinaikos Thinks About – Stories – Panathinaikos Actor – Extended

And suddenly… Age of YurtsevenThe Turkish center, as Homer called him, is one of the few good solutions on the free agent market and Ergin Ataman admitted that he is a fan of him and is considering taking him over.. He is 26 years old, stands 2.13 meters tall and the center has not found the offer and role he wants in the NBA and is likely to return to Europe after eight years. But who is the player that Obradovic brought to the cross before he was even old… who even took Ataman out of his clothes, but who showed – albeit sporadically – the elements of an excellent player?

He made a “buzz” at the age of sixteen.

Born in Tashkent to Turkish parents, Omar Yurtseven couldn’t do anything else when he was over 2.00 metres tall as a teenager. She skipped volleyball and swimming, as she always had. He has a great love for chess.But his natural inclination was basketball, which he started playing at the age of eight and more… seriously from the age of 12. His international debut came at the 2014 Junior EuroBasket, when he averaged 15.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, leading Turkey to fourth place and earning himself a spot in the top five of a tournament that featured players like Musa Sindekerskis and Hartenstein.

the Zeljko Obradovic It didn’t take long for him to realize how valuable the gem he had in his hands was, as he made his EuroLeague debut in March 2015. The young Turk really caught the attention of the Americans when he played in Fenerbahçe’s friendly against the Nets in Brooklyn in October. He played 15 minutes and helped his team win (!) 101-96 with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block. In fact, in that game he had a teammate… Kostas Sloukas, who had 11 points, 11 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

That was all! Yurtseven was now On the radar of scouts and NBA teamsColleges lined up to offer scholarships and an invitation to the Jordan Classic, which brings together the world’s greatest prospects, was a natural result.

Break with Obradovic

It was February 2016 when Yurtsvin traveled to Toronto for an NBA program. This is what got him out of his clothes. Zeljko ObradovicWho “criticized” the Turk publicly. It is true that the Serbian technician did not count the child who decided to join the university in his basic plans, but the accumulated injuries that the tall man suffered during that period made “Zots” fall into his need.With Andic out injured, he didn’t even ask us if we needed him. Even if he left after that. Why didn’t he? It’s very simple. He doesn’t care at all about the team and what we’re going to do. He only cares about himself. For him, the team doesn’t exist. In the summer, the team offered him an excellent five-year contract, but he rejected it after thinking about it for two months. It was an excellent proposal. Do you know something? He left for Toronto and didn’t say hello to anyone. Everything has an explanation in life. He doesn’t care about anything after all. Apart from Doncic at Real Madrid, do you know another kid his age who plays so much at the highest level? I’ll tell you: there’s no one else. “When I joined the team, I had him play in a friendly against the Thunder when he was only 15 years old. And his reaction to that? I trusted him and he let me down.“Were Obradovic’s harsh words.

Yurtseven was told about them when he arrived in Toronto and when he opened his cell phone he also saw a lot of abusive or even threatening messages from ardent Fener fans calling him a traitor. His version of the story differs from his coach’s, of course.”The coach’s attack was unfair. I was informed of the invitation from the USA through the management, I got permission from the team itself and they booked my ticket and issued my visa months ago. No one ever told me there was a problem until these statements. Maybe he was upset because I didn’t want to sign a five-year contract with Fenerbahce. But I don’t hold a grudge“I am a student of English,” Yurtseven said, explaining his decision to attend an American university.Vener’s suggestion was very honorable and would solve many problems for me and my family. But I wanted to study, I was raised at home and decided to go to America.He added.

In the NBA it’s… another way.

Things in the United States didn’t go quite as Yurtsvin had dreamed. After a difficult first season in North CarolinaHis performance increased in his second season, averaging 13.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. He then decided to transfer to Georgetowna college with a strong tradition in the field. He was excluded from the NCAA for a year, but showed his talent in 2019-20 by averaging 15.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.5 blocks in 27.3 minutes. However, his choice to declare for the draft fell through after NBA teams ignored him.

Over the next year and a half, he struggled to find a place in the NBA, initially through the G League and Summer League, until he got his chance from Miami. An organization with experience in spotting undrafted talent, such as his then (and possibly soon-to-be) teammate, Kendrick Nunn. Erik Spoelstra He was offered third-place minutes, until Adebayo and Dedmon got injured together in December 2021. Yurtsvin “fortified” in the five games and in the twelve that the Heat’s main team missed … “pop” he got 12.1 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 29.2 minutes per game. But quickly, when the “basics” returned, he himself returned to his complementary role. Which did not change much in 2022/23, but also in 2023/24 that he spent with the Jazz.

When the Ataman got angry

After the 2014 Children’s Games, Yurtseven won two more medals with the “young” national teams of Turkey, in 2015 silver at the Volos U18 Championship, losing in the final to Greece (he had 9.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2 blocks per game) and bronze at the 2016 Finland U20 Championship (top five with 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game).

but He has yet to compete in a major event with the Turkish men’s team.The closest thing to that was his appearance in 2021 at the Canadian Pre-Olympic Games, when Turkey lost 81-63 to Greece in the semifinals and he performed “poorly” with 5.3 points and 4 rebounds in just 12.7 minutes on average, making him the best player in the world. Third place behind Sanli and Şengün.

In 2022, he was invited to attend Türkiye’s preparations for the European Basketball Championship, but did not attend. Which angered Ergin AtamanHe explained that he followed an individual program to reduce his body fat to 6.5%, but of course that was not enough for the federal technician.I don’t understand how Giannis, Jokic and Doncic go to Eurobasket and Omer, who doesn’t play in the NBA at all, doesn’t. I’m tired too, I just won the Euroleague for the second time in a row! His presence can help him a lot. I hope he learns from his mistake and returns to the national team after apologizing. Not to me, but to the Turkish people“We are not going to let you down,” said Ataman, who also had a falling out with his agent, Keith Glass.He was definitely influenced by his agent. I also told the president of the union (Hindu Turkoglu) when something like this happens to prevent these agents from dealing with Turkey.“He had said,” he had said.

But the two men buried the hatchet. Jurgen returned to the Turkish national team in the summer of 2023 to provide explanations and took part in the pre-Olympic stage in Istanbul. He himself performed well, averaging 12 points and 9.8 rebounds in 23.8 minutes, but Croatia beat the hosts in the final 84-71 and secured a ticket to the SEF… pre-Olympic stage where they lost eleven months later to Greece.

Advantages of Yurtseven

What kind of player is Omar Yurseven? He is around one Totally…old school tallMeaning he is good at finishing around the basket with both hands. It is no coincidence, after all, that his favorite player who has made him stick with the basketball is Tim Duncan. He has good technique and hooks, and although he is not particularly strong (at least by NBA standards), he is also good at playing with his back to the basket. It is noteworthy that last season he had 45/61 attempts under the basket and 43/86 from one to three meters from the basket. Instead, he was only 2/4 (low volume of attempts) from outside the paint and from the three-point line, while on three-pointers he was 5/24 (also made limited attempts).

He is a very good player thanks to his positioning more than his athleticism. Especially on offensive rebounds, he runs furiously and often finishes off the blocks on the fly. Defensively, he has a strong presence in the paint and provides satisfactory protection of the racket, but he lags behind in speed against more powerful opponents.

Anyway, this is an interesting solution for him. Panathinaikos. With a relative degree of risk, given that he has not been a constant presence in a regular team so far in his career, but he has shown his talent and may be waiting for the right environment to reveal it with duration and consistency.